U.S. Military Strikes Oil Tanker Near Iran's Crude Export Hub of Kharg Island

It has been learned that the U.S. Central Command carried out airstrikes near Kharg Island in the Persian Gulf, Iran's crude oil export hub, resulting in an Iranian oil tanker being hit.

An official from the Donald Trump administration told Fox News on the 8th (local time) that Central Command airstrikes were carried out near Kharg Island and Jask in Iran, and that the targets included an oil tanker.

Iran's Tasnim News Agency also reported that night that a small Iranian oil tanker was struck by a U.S. missile in waters about 4 nautical miles (approx. 7.4 kilometers) away from Kharg Island.

According to the agency, the oil tanker was hit by a projectile fired by the U.S. military near the Kharg Island anchorage.

A local source stated, "Fortunately, there were no casualties, and evacuation operations for the tanker's crew are currently underway."

Authorities are investigating the exact scale of the damage and the specific details of the incident, and further details will be announced later.

Earlier, Mehr News Agency reported that multiple explosions were heard on Kharg Island, and explosions were also heard in Jask, a port city in the southern province of Hormozgan.

Kharg Island is where the country's core infrastructure, which handles the majority of Iran's total crude oil exports, is located.

There have been successive local reports recently of unexplained explosions heard on Kharg Island.

Jask is located outside the Strait of Hormuz and serves as a base for exporting crude oil via Iran's pipelines.

The U.S. military's simultaneous attacks on the oil tanker near Kharg Island and in Jask are interpreted as an intention to cut off Iran's oil export routes and intensify economic pressure.

A U.S. official told Fox that this airstrike is "part of a broader effort to economically pressure Iran," adding that the attack targeting the oil tanker is "part of the pressure campaign against Iran," which heavily relies on crude oil exports.
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.