Iranian tanker hit by US attack near Kharg Island
The US targeted an Iranian oil tanker near Kharg Island with projectiles amid escalating Washington’s aggression against Iran.
According to sources in the island, several explosions were heard on Saturday from the direction of the Persian Gulf in the area around Kharg Island which is Iran’s key oil export hub, Tasnim News Agency reported.
Sources said an Iranian tanker was struck about six nautical miles from the island after being targeted by four projectiles fired by US forces.
The attack caused no casualties, while the tanker’s crew was evacuated from the vessel.
Authorities are investigating the extent of the damage and the precise circumstances of the attack, with further details expected to be released later.
The attack comes as the US has intensified its aggression against Iran in recent days, carrying out strikes on several locations across the country.
On Monday, US military attacked Iran’s Larak Island in the Strait of Hormuz, killing three people. A day later, US launched missile attacks on different locations in southern cities, killing at least 12 people and wounding scores others. In response to the attacks, Iran’s Armed Forces launched a series of retaliatory missile and drone strikes against US military positions in Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait and Bahrain.
Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters warned that any continuation of US military aggression would trigger “heavier, broader and more devastating responses,” while cautioning countries cooperating with the US military that they would face the consequences.
The latest round of aggression against Iran began on February 28, when US and Israeli forces launched large-scale strikes on Iranian territory.
Iran’s Armed Forces responded with daily waves of missiles and drones targeting US and Israeli assets across the region, and closed the Strait of Hormuz to US and allied vessels.
The Commander of the Khatam al-Anbiya Joint Air Defense Headquarters said on Friday that Iran’s Armed Forces had prepared themselves for “any kind of confrontation”.
“The confrontation between the front of truth and the front of falsehood will continue, and … we have prepared ourselves for any kind of confrontation, both today and in the future,” Alireza Elhami said.
US President Donald Trump said on August 31 in a one-line social media post accompanied by an AI-generated video that Kharg Island was being "blown to smithereens". Iranian authorities have vowed a strong response if Kharg is attacked.
Iran is the third-largest producer in the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and exported 90% of its crude via Kharg Island before the war, but flows have been disrupted since a US blockade of Iranian oil exports began in mid-April.