US Strikes Tanker, Iran Retaliates: Vicious Cycle of Retaliation Continues

[Anchor]

The situation in the Strait of Hormuz is growing increasingly volatile. After the US military launched a retaliatory strike on an Iranian oil tanker in response to an Iranian missile attack, Iran countered with a fresh round of retaliation. It is a literal vicious cycle of retaliation.

Reporting from Washington, here is correspondent Jeon Byeong-nam.

[Reporter]

A US missile strikes the bow of an Iranian oil tanker.

Engulfed in a barrage of missiles, the entire vessel is ultimately consumed by flames.

On the 5th local time, the US military attacked three oil tankers located off the coast of Kharg Island, a key hub for Iran's crude oil exports.

Previously, Iran launched several ballistic missiles targeting a US aircraft carrier and a destroyer. However, the US Central Command stated that it "successfully evaded the Iranian attack" and carried out an asymmetric retaliation by striking three Iranian oil tankers in response to the attack on the two US warships.

Brad Cooper, Commander of the US Central Command, warned, "This sends a message that if Iran provokes us, it will pay a much heavier economic price," adding, "If necessary, we will also destroy oil transport fleets."

At the same time, it appears to be a calculated move to manage the situation, as they did not directly target Kharg Island—which handles 90 percent of Iran's oil exports—and allowed crew members to evacuate beforehand for some of the targeted Iranian vessels.

Iran immediately pushed back.

In a counter-retaliation against the US, Iran claimed it attacked six ships—twice the number of vessels it had lost—consisting of three oil tankers and three US-linked vessels.

[Statement by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (Read by state-run IRINN anchor): The Iranian military will launch even stronger attacks against US warships than before, and the scope of the attacks may expand.]

The standoff between the US and Iran has intensified once again following a US military strike on August 30 against Iranian rocket launchers intended for laying sea mines.

As armed clashes continue between the two sides without finding a thread to resume dialogue, crude oil exports through the Strait of Hormuz last month reportedly plummeted by nearly 40 percent compared to pre-war levels.

(Video taken by Oh Jung-shik | Video edited by Nam Il | Design by Seo Seung-hyun)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.