The Middle East situation remains tense as Iran claims to have hit British and US oil tankers with missiles, reporting that the oil ships were "burning" after being attacked. This marks one of the retaliatory actions following the death of Supreme Leader Khamenei.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) of Iran stated that on the 1st, it struck three British and American oil tankers in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz, and released footage showing one of the tankers ablaze. The Revolutionary Guards said: “In the ongoing strikes against hostile maritime targets, three oil tankers belonging to the US and UK, which illegally entered the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz, have been hit by missiles and set on fire.”
The Revolutionary Guards issued a statement noting simultaneous strikes on US military facilities in Kuwait and Bahrain. The statement claimed that after being attacked, Kuwait’s Salem Air Base has been “rendered completely inoperable,” and that three naval infrastructures at the Ahmad Naval Base at the same location were destroyed; a US Navy command and backup center in Bahrain was also hit.
150 Oil Tankers Anchor at the Strait of Hormuz to Observe the Situation
International Maritime Organization Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez called on shipping companies to exercise the "highest degree of caution" and, where possible, avoid entering the affected waters, emphasizing that freedom of navigation is a "fundamental principle of international maritime law".
Iran had previously warned ships not to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, which carries about 20% of global oil and gas shipments, but some Iranian and Chinese vessels continued to sail that day.
Due to Iran’s threats of retaliation, at least 150 oil tankers have anchored and suspended operations in the surrounding waters.