US strikes Iranian tanker off Kharg Island Tehran threatens retaliation

A small Iranian oil tanker was struck by a U.S. missile about 4 miles (6.4 kilometers) from Iran’s Kharg Island on Tuesday, Iran’s semiofficial Tasnim news agency reported, citing local sources. Tasnim said the tanker was hit by a projectile fired by U.S. forces near the anchorage off Kharg Island, Iran’s main oil export hub. There were no reported casualties, and the vessel’s crew was being evacuated, according to the agency. There was no immediate U.S. confirmation of the reported strike. Iran’s military warned that any attack on its oil tankers would trigger retaliation against U.S. forces in the Middle East. Maj. Gen. Ali Abdollahi, commander of Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, which coordinates military operations, said Iranian forces would “heavily target” U.S. interests in the region if Iranian vessels were attacked, according to state media. “The aggressive U.S. military has ordered Iranian oil tankers to evacuate ahead of attacks against them,” Abdollahi said. “I announce that any attack on Iran’s oil tankers will lead to attacks on American bases in the region by the armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran.” Earlier Tuesday, Iran’s semiofficial Fars news agency reported that the sound of an explosion had been heard in Jask, a port city on Iran’s Gulf of Oman coast. It was not immediately clear whether the reported explosion was connected to the alleged tanker strike.