Iran attacks American warships and base after U.S. sinks five Iranian tankers

They’re the latest tit-for-tat strikes as Washington and Tehran lurch back toward fighting during more than six months of war.

The U.S. military struck five Iranian tankers linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in response to attempted attacks by the IRGC on an American warship, according to U.S. Central Command.

“The U.S. warship successfully evaded the attempted Iranian attacks and continued to patrol regional waters. No American personnel were harmed.” CENTCOM said in a post on X.

Four of the tankers were attacked in the Gulf of Oman and one was hit near Kharg Island, according to CENTCOM.

“American forces directed the crews to abandon ship before the vessels were struck and rendered inoperable,” it said in a statement.

Two American warships were attacked and damaged by ballistic missiles, the IRGC said in a statement, according to the semi-official Fars news agency.