The Iranian Revolutionary Guard, quoted by Iranian state media, reported that on Wednesday it attacked two US ships, eight oil tankers, and 10 “non-compliant vessels” attempting to sail through the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial route for oil and gas trade.
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The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency reported that several ships were attacked in the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf.
The Gulf of Oman is near the narrow Strait of Hormuz, an important corridor through which about a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas is usually transported.
The Iranian Revolutionary Guard on Wednesday also included part of the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea in a new “prohibited zone” for the first time, stating that exact coordinates will be announced later.
“If a ship enters that area without coordination, it will be subject to our sanctions,” Guard press representative Hossein Mohebi told state television.
Earlier on Wednesday, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard reported striking a US military base in Jordan and promised to retaliate for American strikes on Iranian oil tankers.
Tehran carried out this attack after US forces destroyed five Iranian oil tankers on Tuesday in response to Iran’s decision to target an American warship. This was the second such attack in less than a week.
The Jordanian military said it shot down 18 missiles launched toward the kingdom.
Long war?
The Revolutionary Guard stated that the war could end if Washington meets its conditions, including demands regarding wars in Lebanon and Yemen.
US President Donald Trump, seeking to end the unpopular war, claimed on Wednesday that the conflict would end immediately after the US midterm elections in November. Polls show that his Republican Party may suffer defeat and lose control of one or both chambers of Congress.
However, The Wall Street Journal quoted US officials saying that Trump’s advisers privately warn that the war could continue throughout the remaining two years of his term.
As Washington attempts to economically strangle Iran, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Board of Governors voted on Wednesday to refer the Iran issue to the United Nations (UN) Security Council over nuclear “non-compliance.” This diplomatic move increased pressure on Tehran.
The resolution, seen by the news agency AFP, was adopted with 23 votes in favor. Three members – Russia, China, and Niger – voted against, and eight countries abstained.
Iran’s representative to the UN nuclear safety oversight body said the resolution was adopted under US pressure and that it “has no basis and will yield no results.”
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated his claim that Iran will soon collapse.
“The main task is to overthrow the terror regime in Iran. We are very close to that,” he said on Wednesday while visiting troops in southern Syria, where Israel has occupied territory it calls a “security zone.”
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