WASHINGTON: US forces destroyed five Iranian oil carriers on Tuesday after Tehran launched ballistic missiles at an American warship twice in recent days, the US military said.
The strikes are the second time Washington has targeted Iranian tankers in less than a week in response to attacks on US military vessels, and Tehran vowed to hit back by targeting oil carriers near US-allied Gulf states.
"American forces directed the crews to abandon ship before the vessels were struck and rendered inoperable," US Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement on the strikes, which were "in response to Iran's most recent failed attacks."
The destruction of the tankers came after "the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) targeted a US Navy warship with ballistic missiles twice over the past two days," CENTCOM said.
The warship "successfully evaded the attempted Iranian attacks and continued to patrol regional waters," it said.
US forces destroyed three Iranian crude carriers on Saturday after Iran tried to attack a US aircraft carrier and a guided missile destroyer, according to CENTCOM.
"All IRGC attempts against US Navy warships have failed," it added.
Earlier Tuesday, the chief of staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, Ali Abdollahi, had warned that Tehran would attack US bases in the region if Iranian oil tankers were hit.
- 'Leave their vessels' -
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio however said Washington would continue to strike them in response to Iranian attacks.
"Iran continues to try to hit US naval ships, and for every time they do that or try to do that, they're going to lose tankers," Rubio told reporters on a visit to Colombia.
Iran said it would target tankers off US allies Kuwait and Bahrain in response to Tuesday's US strikes.
"We warn all oil tankers in the Kuwaiti and Bahraini ports... whether they are anchored or docked -- we warn them to leave their vessels because they will be targeted," according to an IRGC statement posted eon the IRNA state news agency.
CENTCOM also said Tuesday that one of its underwater drones "malfunctioned," after Iran claimed its forces captured an American unmanned submarine in the strategic Strait of Hormuz.
"An underwater drone operated by US forces malfunctioned more than a day ago. It was surveying regional waters in support of ongoing operations," CENTCOM spokesperson Captain Tim Hawkins said, without mentioning whether the device was seized by Iran.
"The defective drone was an older model that neither collected sensitive data nor carried any classified sonar or radar equipment," Hawkins added.
Iran's Revolutionary Guards had said they seized a US underwater drone at the "entrance to the Strait of Hormuz in a complex intelligence and operational action," describing it as "one of the most modern, unmanned, and smart submarines" operated by US forces. - AFP
