U.S. forces destroyed five IRGC-linked oil tankers Tuesday after Iran twice targeted an American warship with ballistic missiles, carrying out Washington’s warning that continued attacks on the U.S. Navy would exact an increasingly steep price on Tehran’s oil fleet.
\n\nU.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said the American warship evaded both attacks over the past two days and continued patrolling regional waters, with no U.S. personnel harmed.
\n\nAmerican forces responded by destroying four IRGC crude carriers — the M/T Kaviz, M/T Charminar, M/T Horizon 1, and M/T Riesco — in the Gulf of Oman and a fifth, the M/T Derya, near Kharg Island, Iran’s principal oil-export hub. The crews were ordered to abandon the vessels before they were struck and rendered inoperable.
\n\nCENTCOM said the tankers formed part of a multibillion-dollar shadow network used to finance the IRGC and its regional proxies, striking another source of revenue for Tehran as Washington intensifies its campaign to economically isolate the regime.
\n\n“Iran has no means by which to defend these vessels,” the command said.
\n\nSecretary of State Marco Rubio made the retaliatory policy explicit Tuesday, saying Tehran should expect to lose oil tankers each time it attempts to attack American naval forces.
\n\n“The back…
Original source: https://breitbart.com/
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