Iran Claims It Hit Multiple Ships In Persian Gulf, Warns US Military Of Major Escalation

Iran claimed Thursday that it struck seven oil tankers in the Persian Gulf and near the Strait of Hormuz, warning that continued American military operations could trigger an expanded Iranian assault on U.S. military bases throughout the Middle East.

Four vessels allegedly caught fire after being simultaneously attacked in the northern Persian Gulf on Wednesday, while three additional ships reportedly struck naval mines west of the Strait of Hormuz, according to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy, Reuters reported. The claims, which have not been confirmed outside of Tehran, represent a potentially significant escalation in Iran’s ongoing campaign against commercial shipping.

“The forces pulling matters toward another round of war are much stronger than the forces pushing back,” Trita Parsi, executive vice president of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, told the Daily Caller News Foundation. “Israel is dead set on another war, whereas Trump is oscillating between wanting an exit from the war and an impulse for revenge against the damage Iran has done to Trump’s presidency.”

“On paper, and increasingly in practice, the United States maintains a massive advantage, but in an asymmetric war situation such as this, even the far weaker power can exercise enormous influence,” J.D. Foster, former chief economist at the White House Office of Management and Budget and former chief economist at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, told the DCNF. “For examples, see Vietnam, Afghanistan, and Iraq. However, it is misleading to view the state of the conflict in military terms. The “front” in classical military terms is stagnant, relatively quiet, and increasingly irrelevant because the crux of the conflict now lies in the economic domain.”

The IRGC claimed its forces tracked four vessels allegedly conducting illegal ship-to-ship oil transfers before the vessels were simultaneously struck and caught fire, according to Reuters.

Iranian state television additionally reported that three other oil tankers were damaged and immobilized after striking naval mines, according to the Associated Press.

“As President Trump stated, Iran is in very bad condition, both economically and militarily, and the blockade will remain in full force and effect, with oil flowing in record numbers of barrels through the Hormuz Strait,” Anna Kelly, White House principal deputy press secretary, told the DCNF. “The United States will not be attacking Iran at any time prior to the midterm elections.”

The Pentagon declined to comment, citing operational security. U.S. Central Command did not respond to a request for comment.

The Iranian military did not identify the vessels involved, their nationalities or whether the alleged attacks resulted in casualties, according to AP.