IRGC says it attacked 10 ships in Strait of Hormuz VIDEO

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said its naval forces had attacked two U.S. vessels and eight oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz, describing the strikes as retaliation for a U.S. attack on five Iranian tankers in the Persian Gulf.

According to Tasnim, citing an IRGC statement, the Iranian forces targeted the 10 vessels after they attempted to pass through an area declared by Iran to be prohibited and unsafe. The IRGC said the vessels were operating with U.S. support.

The statement said the attacks were carried out in response to the U.S. military’s strikes on five Iranian tankers. The U.S. Central Command said it destroyed five Iranian crude oil carriers on Tuesday after the IRGC targeted a U.S. Navy warship with ballistic missiles twice over two days.

“The Strait of Hormuz is under the firm and powerful surveillance and control of the strong and valiant Navy of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps,” the IRGC statement said.

The Strait of Hormuz is a major global energy shipping route, and the latest attacks mark a sharp escalation in the confrontation between Washington and Tehran. Reuters reported that the IRGC said the 10 ships were attempting to cross what Iran described as a “prohibited and unsafe” area of the strait.

By Tamilla Hasanova