United States Tightens Its Siege on Iran

The “tanker war” has escalated as the United States tightened its blockade on Iran, after the US military destroyed five Iranian oil tankers in response to two ballistic missile attacks that targeted a US warship. The Iranian fleet has come under US fire, with US Central Command (CENTCOM) reporting that American forces destroyed ten Iranian tankers over the past week, and warning that strikes would continue if attempts to target its warships were repeated. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) stated that it targeted two US ships, eight tankers, and ten other vessels that entered the “prohibited and unsafe zone,” while CENTCOM denied that any of its ships were hit. Iran launched missiles toward “US targets” in Jordan and expanded the scope of the area it intends to impose on navigation, including parts of the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea. On the nuclear file, the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) referred Iran to the UN Security Council for the first time in two decades, after 23 countries voted in favor of the resolution due to Tehran’s failure to comply with its safeguards and non-proliferation commitments. Meanwhile, satellite imagery showed a “clear surge” in construction activities at the “Jabal al-Faws” site near the Natanz facility. CNN reported, citing sources, that the US military holds operational plans to strike the site, amid doubts about the ability of US bombs to penetrate granite and reach the depths of the fortified nuclear facility.