US Hits Iranian Oil Tankers After Iran Attacks Navy Ship Again

US forces hit several Iranian oil tankers in the Persian Gulf on Tuesday. They did this because Iran tried again to hit a US Navy ship with missiles. The missiles did not hit the ship, and no Americans were hurt, a US official said. But the fight between the US and Iran is growing.

Over the weekend, Iran fired missiles at a US aircraft carrier and a destroyer. The US answered by sinking one Iranian tanker and damaging two more so badly that they cannot be used. On Monday, Iran fired more missiles at Navy ships, but no ship was hit. US officials worry because Iran keeps firing missiles. They say China or Russia may be helping Iran make better missiles.

On Tuesday, the US hit tankers that officials said are connected to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, or IRGC. After that, Iran's Revolutionary Guard Navy told crews on oil tankers near Kuwait and Bahrain to leave their ships immediately. It said the US had already hit several Iranian oil tankers. It also accused Kuwait and Bahrain of hosting US forces and helping the attacks.

Mohsen Rezaei, who leads Iran's Supreme National Security Council, said Iran would create a new sea exclusion zone, an area that other ships must not enter, across the Persian Gulf. Ships entering the zone could be placed on Iran's sanctions list, a punishment list. But Qatar's foreign ministry said it is working with China and other partners to bring the US and Iran back to negotiations.