The U.S. administration conducted strikes targeting Iranian oil tankers near Kharg Island and Jask on Tuesday, adding military action to its economic sanctions aimed at pressuring Iran.
According to a U.S. official, the strikes were a response to attempted missile attacks directed at a U.S. Navy warship. Kharg Island serves as the primary hub for Iran's oil industry, processing up to 90% of the country's oil exports and storing millions of barrels of crude.
This development marks the latest escalation in tensions between the two nations. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) issued a warning on Tuesday, suggesting that ships in Kuwaiti and Bahraini ports hosting U.S. forces could be subject to retaliation.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stated over the weekend that the U.S. strategy is designed to achieve the "greatest economic isolation operation in the history of the world" and to "asphyxiate this regime." He described the combined approach of U.S. military presence in the Strait of Hormuz and economic sanctions as a "powerful one-two punch."
An explosion was also reported in the southern Jask area, located east of the Strait of Hormuz in the Gulf of Oman, according to Iran's Fars news agency.