Relations between the United States and Iran have further deteriorated with the U.S. military shipput up five Iranian crude oil tankers after the attacks by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard on a U.S. warship.
According to a social media post on Tuesday by US Central Command, the raids were in response to two Iranian attempts to strike the USS Duckbill with ballistic missiles within the last two days.
US forces also attacking at least three Iranian oil tankers were reported by the Iranian state TV, one near the port of Jask in the southern Persian Gulf and the other near the Kharg Island. The crews evacuated after the strikes, the report said.
The recent events represent the latest bout of “military warping” as Washington and Tehran are set to turn to one another in what would be their next stage of confrontation following six months of warfare.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio threatened to not let Iranian aggression on U.S. naval ships go uncombat-ed. Rubio, in his visit to Colombia, told reporters Iran would still be subject to repercussions if it tried to hit U.S. warships.
The ongoing clash has also raised fears about the implications for the global economy, especially ahead of the Strait of Hormuz, which is an important shipping passage point to the rest of the world for energy supplies.
“Continued military counteraction could lead to further escalation,” warned Danny Citrinowicz, an Iran expert at Israel’s Institute for National Security Studies. He stated that the issue regarding Strait of Hormuz is a dispute of land and should be solved by dialogue and negotiation, not by fighting.
During the time, a reporter from the Iranian state TV in Jask reported that an Iranian tanker was attacked off the coast of Yekbeni. One explosion had also been heard in the area, though it was difficult to determine the cause of or exact location of that explosion.
But the new workers’ walkouts have brought back worries that ongoing rounds of strikes could push Washington and Tehran into a dangerous and out-of-control deadlock.