US Strikes About 100 Targets in Iran Under New Tanker Policy
The US military conducted strikes on about 100 Iranian targets including IRGC air defense sites, radar systems, missile launchers and drone capabilities in southern Iran on Tuesday, the first direct retaliatory attacks on Iranian ships under a new 'tanker for tanker' policy approved by President Trump.
US Launches Strikes on Iranian Targets
The strikes mark the first time that the US has launched direct retaliatory strikes on Iranian ships in the strait, rather than preventing them from violating the US-imposed naval blockade. [1] The US military struck two Islamic Revolutionary Guard (IRGC) tankers on Tuesday in the first direct retaliatory attack on Iranian ships since the beginning of the war, Axios reported on Tuesday, citing US officials. [1] The move is part of a new “tanker for tanker” policy approved by US President Donald Trump, the report said, and aims to further deter Iranian attacks on ships moving through the Strait of Hormuz. [1] Prior to the new strategy, the US had only prevented Iranian ships from violating the naval blockade. [1] The tankers were anchored off Iran's coast north of the US naval blockade line, said Axios, when US drones launched missiles and hit their engine rooms. [1] The White House and US Central Command (CENTCOM) claimed the strikes were in response to recent attacks by Iran on commercial ships in the Strait, as well as American bases in the region. [1] However, the attacks were part of a larger plan to prevent Tehran from rebuilding radar and missile capabilities used to attack the ships, the report added. [1] One US official said the strategy was to “mow the lawn” in order to reduce the risk of Iranian attacks on oil tankers and US military assets in the region, said Axios. [1] Around 100 Iranian targets hit on Tuesday, US official says Around 100 targets were attacked during Tuesday’s round of strikes, Axios cited US officials as saying. [1] IRGC air defense sites, radar systems, mine-laying capabilities, communications sites, anti-ship cruise missile launchers and attack drone launchers were among the targets hit, the officials said. [1] The renewed strikes degraded Tehran’s capabilities in Hormuz and “bought at least a month” of lowered threat levels for commercial tankers, a US official told Axios. [1] The US military said on Tuesday it is striking new targets in Iran as hostilities flare again after a month without military action. [2] US Central Command said that the strikes follow recent attempted attacks by the Iranian government against commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. [2]
Iranian Civilian Casualties Reported
The IRGC said the attacks began after the United States bombed a number of civilian places in Iran's southern coasts "out of desperation" and in retaliation for the U.S. "criminal" and deadly attack on a wedding ceremony in Hormozgan province. [5] The semi-official Fars news agency cited Ahmad Nafisi, Hormozgan's deputy governor for political and security affairs, as saying that at least five people, including a four-year-old child and a woman, were killed and over 50 others wounded in the U.S. attack targeting the wedding ceremony in Sirik county. [5] Multiple explosions were heard Tuesday evening in several southern Iranian provinces as U.S. Central Command, in a post on social media platform X, announced the start of strikes against IRGC targets. [5] The explosions were heard in the counties of Sirik, Bandar Abbas, Qeshm and Jask in Hormozgan, Konarak and Chabahar in Sistan and Baluchestan province, Jiroft in Kerman province, and Asaluyeh in Bushehr province, Iranian media reported. [5] Iran's main military command, Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, said in a statement that in response to the U.S. "air aggression," the Iranian armed forces will deal "crushing and shattering" blows to the United States. [5]
Iran Retaliates Against US Bases
Iran has in response launched attacks on Jordan, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Iraq. [1] Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claims it has launched a “heavy” ballistic missile attack on Prince Hassan airbase and a US Marine base in Jordan in response to earlier US strikes that killed civilians. [4] Supreme Leader Mojatba Khamenei says Iran’s armed forces have “unforgettable lessons” in store for Washington, in his first message since the US and Tehran restarted attacks. [4] Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) said Tuesday night it has started strikes against U.S. bases and assets in the region in retaliation for U.S. attacks against southern Iranian provinces earlier in the day, which killed at least five and wounded over 50 others. [5] In a statement published on its official news outlet Sepah News, the IRGC said its "regret-inducing response against the aggressors" have begun, noting its air defense had shot down a "hostile" U.S. MQ-9 Reaper drone. [5] Its aerospace forces also launched ballistic missile and drone strikes on Camp Titin in Jordan and Shaikh Isa Air Base in Bahrain, reportedly killing "a large number of" U.S. troops and destroying several key facilities and combat helicopters. [5] It stressed that the U.S. strikes will only protract the closure of the Strait of Hormuz and make the Iranian armed forces more determined to "suppress the foreign forces interfering in the waterway." [5]
Regional Air Defenses Respond
Bahrain says air defenses intercepted drone attacks from Iran. [3] Air defense systems remained on high state of alert, says state news agency. [3] The Jordanian Armed Forces-Arab Army (JAF) said later that the country's air defense systems on Tuesday evening intercepted and destroyed 10 of 13 ballistic missiles that entered the country's airspace from Iran in the past hours. [5] Three other missiles fell in remote areas away from population centers, with no casualties or loss of life reported, according to a JAF statement. [5]
Trump Comments on US Position
Trump claimed that he “couldn’t care less” if Iran signs an agreement in a post on Truth Social on Tuesday. [1] “I like our position now much better, with almost total control of the Hormuz Strait, and their economy totally collapsing,” he said in the post. [1]
Security Warnings Issued
The US embassy in Jerusalem issued a security warning for American citizens in the Middle East due to rising tensions. [1] Similarly, Bahrain's Interior Ministry issued an alert for "potential threats in the country." [1]
What to watch next: Further Iranian armed forces responses remain possible after statements vowing “crushing and shattering” blows and “unforgettable lessons” for Washington, while US officials noted the strikes bought at least a month of lowered threat levels in the Strait of Hormuz.
