On Saturday, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard announced that it had carried out attacks targeting several ships, including ships allegedly linked to the United States, in response to American strikes that targeted Iranian oil tankers earlier the same day.
The statement issued by the Revolutionary Guard Navy explained that its forces targeted three oil tankers that sailed through what it described as an “unauthorized route” in the Strait of Hormuz, in addition to three other ships linked to the United States in different regions.
The statement also included a warning to other ships and marine tankers against attempting to pass through unapproved routes in the region.
The Iranian army had vowed to launch "more severe" attacks on American warships in the region, if Washington continued to target Iranian ships and impose a naval blockade on the country. The threat came hours after the US military announced the targeting of three oil tankers that it said belonged to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard.
The Central Command of Khatam al-Anbia said: “We warn the American terrorist army that if the hostilities, threat to security, harassment of Iranian ships, and the naval blockade imposed on Iran continue, the strikes of the Iranian armed forces against American military ships in the region will be more severe than before, and their scope may expand.”
The US Central Command (Centcom) said that its forces targeted the three tankers in response to the launching of ballistic missiles towards two American warships.
According to Centcom, US forces "permanently disabled" the tanker "Downey" off Kharg Island, the main center for Iranian oil exports, and the tanker "Stark 1" near the city of Jask overlooking the Strait of Hormuz. They also "completely destroyed" the empty tanker "Kilo" in the Gulf of Oman, after ordering its crew to leave it.
The command added that an aircraft carrier and a destroyer equipped with guided missiles escaped several attacks launched by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, confirming that no members of the American forces were injured.
Centcom Commander, Admiral Brad Cooper, said: “Let the message to the Revolutionary Guard be clear: If you fire on two of our ships, we will impose a greater economic cost on you by targeting three of your ships.”
He added: "We will not hesitate to defend American forces and, when necessary, destroy Iran's limited and exposed oil fleet."
The semi-official Iranian Tasnim Agency reported that an Iranian tanker was hit by four American missiles while it was at the Kharg Island anchorage, and that its crew was evacuated without any reports of injuries.
Targeting tankers near Kharg Island would increase pressure on Iran's oil sector and the country's economy, which are already affected by the US naval blockade imposed on Iranian oil exports.
On August 31, US President Donald Trump published a video clip created by artificial intelligence, accompanying it with a phrase in which he said that Kharg Island was “being razed to the ground,” while the Iranian authorities vowed a strong response if the island was attacked.
The strikes come about a week after renewed confrontations between the United States and Iran, following a month of relative calm in the war that broke out following the American-Israeli attack on Iran on February 28, at a time when the diplomatic track is still faltering.
On Thursday, Tehran announced that its armed forces targeted “American military bases” in Kuwait and the Emirates, vowing to avenge the killing of civilians during a wedding party in a raid it attributed to Washington.
In parallel with the escalation, the Speaker of the Iranian Shura Council, Muhammad Baqer Qalibaf, announced that his country welcomed a Chinese proposal to establish a new security structure in the region.
Qalibaf said: “China’s focus on strengthening common security reflects what Iran has been emphasizing for years... The countries of the region should make their own futures, as true stability can only be achieved by establishing a new regional and local security architecture.” Iran is ready for that.”
In a related context, the US State Department approved possible military deals for Saudi Arabia and Iraq, in addition to services for maintaining fighter aircraft belonging to the Sultanate of Oman, in light of escalating regional tensions and renewed confrontations between Washington and Tehran.
The ministry said on Friday that it had approved the potential sale of Joint Direct Attack Extended Range Munitions (JDAM-ER) to Saudi Arabia, with an estimated value of five billion dollars, with Boeing being the main contractor.
These munitions are used to convert unguided bombs into precision-guided bombs, while the extended-range version allows them to hit targets from greater distances.
The Ministry also approved another potential deal with Saudi Arabia, worth $750 million, to purchase AGT 1500 engines, to be implemented by Honeywell. This brings the estimated value of the two deals to $5.75 billion.
In Iraq, the US State Department approved the potential sale of Bell 412 EPX helicopters and related equipment, worth $150 million, with Bell Textron being the main contractor.
The approval came days after announcing another potential deal to Iraq worth about $800 million, which includes Bell 412 EPX and Bell 407M helicopters, along with weapons, sensors, equipment, and technical and logistical support services.
Washington said that the broader deal aims to enhance Iraq's capabilities in air transportation, reconnaissance, and targeting ground targets, and help it confront current and future threats.
The Ministry also agreed to provide potential services for the maintenance of F-16 aircraft and related equipment to the Sultanate of Oman, at an estimated cost of $188 million.
The approval of the Ministry of State does not mean the final conclusion of these deals, as they represent a step within the US foreign military sales procedures, and their value or the equipment included in them may change before the contracts are signed.
Oil prices ended trading on Friday with strong weekly gains, driven by renewed confrontations between the United States and Iran and the continued disruption of shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.
Brent crude closed at $96.28 a barrel, up 76 cents, or 0.8 percent, while West Texas Intermediate crude ended trading at $91.48, an increase of 18 cents, or 0.2 percent.
Over the course of the week, Brent crude rose by 9.3 percent, while American crude rose by about 9.7 percent, amid fears of disruption to energy supplies coming from the Middle East.
The repercussions of the US Army’s announcement, on Saturday, of targeting three oil tankers that it said belonged to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, were not reflected in prices, as the development came after the closure of the weekly markets. US Central Command said it disabled two tankers near Kharg Island and the city of Jask, and destroyed a third empty tanker in the Gulf of Oman.
He added that, until the markets closed on Friday, there were no indications that this week’s escalation had led to a tangible scarcity in the oil market or had a significant impact on Middle Eastern exports, considering that the rise in prices was mainly driven by fears and market sentiment.
However, the American strikes on tankers on Saturday represent a direct escalation against the means of transporting Iranian oil, at a time when senior Iranian sources say that the American campaign aimed at strangling the country’s economy, by blockading its oil exports and pursuing attempts to circumvent sanctions, has become more difficult for Tehran.
In Iraq, oil exports rose during August to about 2.34 million barrels per day, compared to about 1.35 million barrels per day in July, according to Iraqi officials in the energy sector.
