Iran Fires Ballistic Missiles at US Aircraft Carrier and Destroyer
The Aerospace Force of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on Saturday claimed that it fired several ballistic missiles targeting a US aircraft carrier and a destroyer, alleging that the two warships harassed Iranian ships and participated in a naval blockade.
State broadcaster IRIB cited a statement from the IRGC, which said that the two US Navy vessels were attacked amid continued hostile actions against Iranian shipping.
The statement read, 'The Aerospace Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps attacked with several ballistic missiles the aircraft carrier and a destroyer of the child-killing American army that were harassing Iranian ships and participating in the naval blockade.'
Iran's military has vowed 'more severe' retaliatory attacks on US naval vessels if Washington keeps up its strikes on Iranian ships, hours after US Central Command said it had destroyed three Iranian tankers.
The US-Iran conflict has escalated in recent days, with both sides exchanging accusations and military actions.
Background
The Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping lane, has been a point of contention between the US and Iran, with both countries accusing each other of harassment and aggression.
On Saturday, the IRGC's naval force said it attacked three oil tankers transiting an 'unauthorised route' through the Strait of Hormuz and three vessels linked with the United States in the region, after Washington's forces struck three Iranian oil tankers earlier.
The IRGC Navy stated, 'This morning, the American terrorist and aggressive army, in a brutal act and out of desperation to close the Strait of Hormuz, attacked three oil tankers belonging to the Islamic Republic of Iran, causing damage.'
International Reaction
As tensions escalate between the US and Iran, Tehran on Saturday condemned the US strikes on Iranian commercial vessels in the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman, terming the attacks a violation of the UN Charter and saying they 'constitute a war crime.'
The Islamic Republic's Foreign Ministry, in a statement, said it 'strongly condemns the US adventurist actions in attacking Iranian commercial vessels in the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman' and termed the strikes a continuation of what it described as US military aggression against Iran.
