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The United States military struck two Iranian government tankers on September 1 as part of a broader wave of attacks targeting Iran, Axios reported, citing American officials.
The strikes marked the first time the U.S. has targeted Iranian tankers in retaliation for attacks on ships in the Strait of Hormuz, rather than to prevent violations of the naval blockade on Iranian ports, according to the news website.
A U.S. official said the operation was part of a new “tanker for tanker” policy approved by President Donald Trump to deter Iranian attacks on tankers transiting the strategic waterway.
Officials who spoke to the website revealed that about 100 targets were struck on the same day, including Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) air defense sites, radar systems, mine-laying capabilities, communications facilities, anti-ship cruise missile launchers and attack drone launchers.
The two Iranian tankers were anchored off Iran’s coast north of the U.S. naval blockade line. U.S. drones fired missiles that struck their engine rooms, said officials.
The White House and the U.S. Central Command said the strikes were conducted in response to recent attempted IRGC attacks on commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz and attacks on American bases in the region.
Iran responded by launching missiles and drones at several bases hosting American forces in Jordan, Kuwait, Bahrain and Iraq’s Kurdistan Region. A U.S. drone was also shot down.
The Islamic Republic’s response didn’t stop there, however. The IRGC announced on September 2 that two tankers struck naval mines while attempting to transit the Strait of Hormuz. In a statement, the Corps said the tankers had been disabled and forced to disembark their crews after ignoring warnings to take an “illegal route” through the waterway.
The announcement, which confirms that Iran is still planting mines in the Strait of Hormuz, was likely made in response to the U.S. “tanker for tanker” policy.
More than five months into the U.S. war on Iran, the Strait of Hormuz remains tightly under the control of the Islamic Republic.
Reuters reported, citing preliminary shipping data, that only four commodity vessels transited the Strait of Hormuz on September 1, down from ten a day earlier and below the 10-day average of around 13.
The four vessels that transited were one very large crude carrier, one Panamax tanker, one Kamsarmax carrier and one intermediate tanker, according to data from shiptracker Kpler.
Over the weekend, the U.S. resumed strikes against Iran, igniting another confrontation with the Islamic Republic, reportedly with the aim to weaken its grip on the Strait of Hormuz. Similar limited bombing campaigns failed to achieve this in recent months, and the new “tanker for tanker” policy could backfire, as the Islamic Republic is also capable of targeting tankers away from the Strait of Hormuz.
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