File image.
The naval war in the Persian Gulf intensified on March 2 with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announcing an attack on a tanker that attempted to transit the Strait of Hormuz “illegally.”
In a statement, the guards said that the Athena Nova — a Honduras-flagged asphalt tanker —, belonging to allies of the United States, was targeted with two drones close to the strategic waterway. It added that a fire broke out on the tanker after the attack.
The Strait of Hormuz is the world’s most vital oil export route, which connects the biggest Gulf oil producers, such as Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq and the United Arab Emirates, with the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea.
Iran began targeting tankers close to the strategic waterway a day after the U.S. and Israel began their attack on February 28.
Three vessels were hit on the first day of attacks, including the Marshall Islands-flagged product tanker MKD VYOM. Oman’s Maritime Security Center said on March 2 that the tanker “was attacked by a remotely operated boat” around 52 nautical miles off the coast of Muscat Governorate.
“In coordination with the Maritime Security Center, the tanker’s crew of 21 people—including 16 Indians, 4 Bangladeshis, and 1 Ukrainian—was evacuated by the commercial vessel (MV SAND), flying the flag of Panama,” the center noted.
Projectiles also hit the U.S.-flagged products tanker Stena Imperative in the port of Bahrain early on March 2, according to Reuters. Two maritime sources told the news agency that a fire broke out as a result of the attack, and was later extinguished.
The recent attacks brought movements through the Strait of Hormuz to a near complete halt, with reports revealing that as many as 150 vessels including oil and liquefied natural gas tankers had dropped anchor in nearby waters.
The U.S., from its side, has also managed to deal several blows to Iranian naval forces. On March 2, the Central Command revealed that IRIS Shahid Bagheri, a container ship commissioned by the guard’s navy last year after conversion to a drone carrier, was struck in the opening strikes of the war.
“U.S. forces struck the ship within hours of launching Operation Epic Fury,” the command said in a brief statement.
Separately, satellite images released by Planet Labs revealed massive destruction at Bandar Abbas Naval Base in southern Iran, with several damaged vessels. One of the vessels was identified as IRIS Makran, a tanker turned into a forward base ship by the Iranian Navy. The vessel was commissioned five years ago.
Click to see full-size image.
Click to see full-size image.
U.S. President Donlad Trump set the destruction of Iranian naval forces as one of the key goals of the war, and on March 1 he claimed that nine warships had been sunken. In a statement released the next day, CENTCOM said that 11 warships were hit. The command also released footage showing one of the strikes.
The naval confrontation will likely heat up in the coming days. Both sides will take more losses. The Strait of Hormuz will likely remain closed for the entirety of the war, unless the two sides reach some maritime agreement. Such a development wont be surprising as Iran itself exports through the waterway.
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passing the straight of hormuz now requires the consent of iran. passing past that point puts international shipping energy to india and china in the hands of the us naval pirate blockade. modi has just visited israel suggesting a back alley deal / bribe may have been assembled effecting the indian population
how long will the us aipac fleet be able to provide supplies to fuel these illegal wars. russia and china are also under attack here from dollar hegemony which always acts in ignorance and defiance of heaven
the globalist attempt to control all energy, currency and shipping has not changed. it is openly displayed for those wise enough to see by those who are free from indoctrination
“the us aircraft carrier abraham lincoln was forced to leave its position (in gulf of oman close to persian gulf – ed) and head toward the indian ocean as a result of the iranian attack, the irgc press service reported.”
this report received widespread attention in asia because it was written by the well-known russian online newspaper ria novosti, which has become known for its timely and accurate reporting on military intelligence.
hahaha they struck one american ship yes but they’ve lost their entire 11 navy ships they’re sunk and that’s reported by credible sources that aren’t being shoved in our faces like your so called respectable opinion .
i don’t know about the other iranian ships, but this vessel was a converted cargo ship. not much to brag about by destroying it for the most “powerful navy in the world”
and who’s wanting to rule the universe ? who gave written instructions to klaus schwab outlining exactly what he wanted achieved at each wef meeting?
i.r.iran can use massive row of ports and bases in arabian sea. persian gulf isn’t of such necessity for them.
work around planning and installations has been underway for years. russia and china has plans to survive in a world without the us and eu. we may see this in our lifetimes
ramses tom.saywer anerucunt whatever yours such a believer .
they’ve no navy left keep up
shoot all the gas pipelines and usrael is done.
i sell thousands chinese made but plugs to americunts daily cuz amerikan made spread too much diarrhea
mr peace president’s legacy went into pieces….trumpstein is finished, he cannot locate his asshole in the dark
oy vey vey…the jew and amerikunt is not built for long attrition wars. they are built for 2 minute twitter dazzle