The U.S. military claims to have struck three Iranian oil tankers and confirmed that Iran has used ballistic missiles against an aircraft carrier.

On Saturday night Beijing time, the U.S. Central Command issued a statement saying that after Iran fired missiles at U.S. warships, it launched strikes against three of the countrys oil tankers. The U.S. Central Command stated that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of Iran fired ballistic missiles at two U.S. Navy ships patrolling the regional waters. One aircraft carrier and one missile destroyer successfully evaded the "multiple indiscriminate attacks" launched by Iran. After avoiding Iran's assault, the U.S. military immediately carried out retaliatory strikes against three Iranian "shadow tankers." The U.S. military disclosed that it "destroyed" the Iranian Revolutionary Guard's crude oil transport vessel "M/T Downy" located offshore of Kharg Island, as well as the "M/T Stark 1" near the Jask oil terminal. The U.S. military also provided video footage of the strike scene. At the same time, the U.S. military claimed to have "completely destroyed" the empty crude oil tanker "M/T Kylo" (also known as "Noxen") in the Gulf of Oman. After ordering the crew to abandon ship, the U.S. military targeted multiple critical areas of the vessel, rendering it completely incapable of navigation and operation. General Brad Cooper, the commander of U.S. Central Command, stated in the announcement: "We want to send a clear message to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps: If you fire upon our two warships, we will impose an even higher economic cost on youby destroying three of your ships." This latest development also marks an escalation in the Iran conflict. Over the past week, the U.S. military has broken the relative calm that lasted for more than a month by launching strikes against various Iranian targets, one of which even affected a wedding. The continuous gunfire has also pushed WTI crude oil futures back to the $90 per barrel mark for the first time in over a month. (Source: TradingView) Meanwhile, to compete for control of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, Iran has launched attacks against at least four tankers navigating through the southern route of the strait. Iran has also released a list of over 50 tankers, warning that these vessels could be potential targets for attacks or seizures. Most of these tankers are owned by oil and shipping companies from Gulf countries. Even though this conflict has lasted for six months, Iran's use of ballistic missiles against U.S. aircraft carriers remains a significant sign of escalation in the situation. Danny Citrinowicz, a senior researcher on the council of Atlantic China Welding Consumables, Inc. and former head of the Iranian direction at the Israeli military intelligence research analysis department, openly interpreted this as another step on the ladder of escalating regional tensions. Citrinowicz noted that since the conflict began, Tehran seems to have been intent on restraint, refraining from using "Persian Gulf" (Khalij Fars) anti-ship ballistic missiles to attack U.S. aircraft carriers. The likely reason is the concern that such attacks would provoke a large-scale American response, pushing the confrontation beyond the informal rules of engagement that have until now constrained the conflict. He emphasized that the latest situation indicates that Tehran is becoming increasingly willing to take risks it previously sought to avoid, including directly threatening some of the most important U.S. military assets in the region. According to the latest report from CCTV, regarding the tanker attack incident, the Iranian Armed Forces' Khatam al-Anbia Central Command issued a warning, stating that if the U.S. continues its unsafe behavior, harassing Iranian vessels and maintaining its blockade of Iran, the Iranian Armed Forces will launch even harsher attacks on U.S. warships in the region, and may expand the scope of the strikes. On the evening of the 5th local time, the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy stated in a declaration that "the U.S. military, in desperation from being shut out of the Strait of Hormuz, attacked three Iranian oil tankers, causing damage." In response, the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy carried out strikes against the three tankers as well as three vessels associated with the U.S. in the Strait of Hormuz. This article is sourced from "Financial Associated Press," authored by Shi Zhengcheng, and edited by Wang Qiujia.