Iran’s IRGC Carries Out Retaliatory Strikes, Targeting Three U.S.-Affiliated Vessels Elsewhere

Tanker strikes and retaliation

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it carried out retaliatory strikes after U.S. attacks on Iranian tankers earlier in the day, targeting three oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz and three U.S.-affiliated vessels elsewhere.

The IRGC navy said the three tankers struck in the strait were crossing through the "unauthorized" route, and it urged vessels in the Gulf and near the Strait of Hormuz to refrain from being "deceived" by the U.S. Army or they would be targeted.

Iran’s main military command spokesman Ebrahim Zolfaghari warned the United States that if "the anti-Iran naval blockade continue[s]," Iran’s strikes against U.S. military vessels "will become more severe than before" and could expand.

In response to the IRGC’s claims, U.S. Central Command said its aircraft carrier and guided-missile destroyer managed to survive several IRGC attacks and that no American forces were injured, while it added that U.S. forces permanently disabled the oil tanker STARC 1 near Jask and the tanker Dawn near Kharg Island.

Air & Space Forces Magazine reported that the U.S. military struck three Iranian oil tankers on Sept. 5, with CENTCOM saying M/T Downy was hit near Kharg Island and M/T Stark 1 was struck near Jask, while M/T Kylo was hit in the Gulf of Oman and later sank.

Reporting for this sectionAir & Space Forces Magazine

Competing claims and threats

The IRGC press release said the IRGC Navy targeted an unmanned and remotely controlled vessel of the American military in the Strait of Hormuz, describing the vessel’s intended entry into the region Iran calls the ‘protected area.’

The U.S. side did not confirm the purported attack, and as of the report’s publication American officials had not issued an official response to the IRGC’s claim.

U.S. Central Command’s Admiral Brian C. Brown said, "if you fire at our two ships, we will impose an even heavier economic cost on you and destroy your three ships," framing the response as defense after IRGC attacks.

Air & Space Forces Magazine quoted CENTCOM commander Adm. Brad Cooper saying, "If you shoot at our ships, we will impose an even higher economic cost—take out three of yours," and added that the U.S. would not hesitate to destroy Iran’s limited and exposed oil fleet.

The BBC described the exchange as retaliatory attacks on vessels, saying CENTCOM announced it had "permanently disabled" a tanker near Hormuz Island and another near the Strait of Hormuz, while Iran’s state media confirmed actions against three U.S.-linked vessels and three tankers using an "unauthorized" route.

Reporting for this sectionAfghanistan InternationalBBC

Restricted zone and fallout

Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Secretary Mohsen Rezaei said Tehran plans to establish a new restricted zone around the Strait of Hormuz, and he told Iranian state media that "Any ship entering this new zone will be placed on the sanctions list [of Iran]." Rezaei said the zone would "begin from the line of the US naval blockade" and extend toward the Strait of Hormuz and into the Persian Gulf, while he added that Iran would only commit to the Strait of Hormuz being open when Americans stop "sabotage, threats and attacks on Iran." The BBC reported that the 60-day ceasefire between the United States and Iran formally expired last month, with no signs of a new diplomatic agreement forthcoming, as both sides continued to exchange retaliatory attacks on vessels.

In Iran’s parliament, Mohammad-Baqer Qalibaf said, "the era of proportionate responses has ended," and he warned that any violation of Iran’s interests and security would receive a "quicker, heavier, and more painful response." The AP reported that Iran said it struck an unmanned U.S. vessel trying to enter the Strait of Hormuz, while the U.S. did not immediately confirm the purported attack, and it noted that at least five people were killed earlier in the week during a U.S. bombardment of southern Iran.

Reporting for this sectionAl JazeeraAP News