US strikes Iranian vessels in first “tanker-for-fanker” retaliation

The U.S. military struck two Iranian government tankers during a wave of attacks on September 1, marking the first known instance of U.S. forces targeting Iranian tankers in retaliation for attacks on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, U.S. officials told Axios.

The strikes were carried out under a new “tanker-for-tanker” policy approved by President Donald Trump, according to a U.S. official, as Washington seeks to deter further Iranian attacks on vessels transiting the strategic waterway.

U.S. officials said around 100 targets were hit during the September 1 operation. The two Iranian tankers were anchored off Iran’s coast, north of the U.S. naval blockade line, when U.S. drones launched missiles that struck their engine rooms.

Other targets included Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps air-defence sites, radar systems, mine-laying capabilities, communications facilities, anti-ship cruise missile launchers and attack-drone launchers, according to U.S. officials.

By Sabina Mammadli