Iran condemned US attacks on its oil tankers as illegal aggression, saying retaliatory strikes targeted American military facilities and warships Wednesday.
Key Developments
- Iran’s Foreign Ministry condemned US attacks on Iranian commercial vessels in the Persian Gulf and Sea of Oman, calling them a violation of the UN Charter and international law.
- Tehran said its armed forces responded under the right to self-defense by attacking US military facilities in Jordan and American vessels involved in operations against Iran.
- The IRGC said it targeted the US base at Azraq with ballistic missiles and struck two US destroyers, while reporting that five Iranian oil tankers had been attacked.
Iran Condemns US Attacks on Tankers
Iran strongly condemned US military attacks against Iranian oil tankers on Wednesday, describing them as an extension of Washington’s military campaign, naval blockade and economic war against the country.
The Iranian Foreign Ministry said the attacks targeted commercial vessels in the Persian Gulf and Sea of Oman on Tuesday evening.
“The US military attack on Iranian commercial vessels in the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman, as a continuation of the US military aggression, naval blockade and economic war waged by the US regime against Iran, is a clear violation of the UN Charter and international law,” the ministry said.
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It warned that US operations against Iranian commercial shipping represented a significant escalation with consequences extending beyond the confrontation between Tehran and Washington.
“The aggressive actions taken by the United States against Iranian commercial vessels not only represent a dangerous escalation of tensions in the region, but also constitute a clear threat to regional and international peace and security,” the statement said.
Iranian state television had earlier reported that the US military attacked an oil tanker near the waters off Jask, forcing its crew to evacuate in a lifeboat.
Tasnim News Agency separately reported that a small Iranian oil tanker was struck by US forces approximately four miles from Kharg Island.
According to Tasnim, the vessel was hit while in the island’s anchorage area.
Iranian television later reported another US attack against a commercial vessel in coastal waters near Jask.
The IRGC subsequently said US forces had attacked five Iranian oil tankers.
Iran Invokes Right to Self-Defense
The Iranian Foreign Ministry said the country’s military response was carried out under Tehran’s right to self-defense.
“In response to the American acts of aggression against Iranian oil tankers, the Iranian armed forces, in accordance with their inherent right to legitimate self-defense, attacked American military bases and installations located in Jordan, which continue to support American military attacks against Iran, as well as several aggressive American ships,” the ministry said.
Tehran stressed its “firm determination to defend Iran’s sovereignty and national interests against the aggressive actions of the United States.”
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It added that Iranian forces “will not hesitate to exercise their inherent right to self-defense and will respond decisively to any military aggression by the enemy in the appropriate manner.”
The ministry also called on the UN Security Council and UN Secretary-General to take immediate action over what it described as grave violations of international peace and security resulting from US military operations against Iran.
IRGC Strikes US Base, Two Destroyers
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps separately announced missile strikes against US military targets in Jordan and at sea.
The IRGC said it launched intensive ballistic missile strikes against the US base at Azraq, Jordan, in retaliation for attacks on Iranian oil tankers.
According to the IRGC, both solid- and liquid-fueled ballistic missiles were used in the operation.
In a separate statement, the IRGC said it targeted two US destroyers, identified as DDG-119 and DDG-53.
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The Iranian military said both vessels carry cruise missiles and are equipped with the Aegis combat system.
The IRGC reported inflicting “significant damage” on the two destroyers.
It later said its retaliatory operations had targeted two US vessels and eight oil tankers following US attacks against five Iranian oil tankers.
The latest operations mark a further expansion of the direct US-Iran war into commercial shipping routes, with oil tankers, naval vessels and military installations around the Persian Gulf, Sea of Oman and Jordan increasingly becoming targets.
(PC, AA, Al Mayadeen)
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