‘Missiles Locked Onto Targets’: IRGC Warns US Assets Over Possible Strikes On Iranian Vessels In Persian Gulf

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) warned US assets in the Persian Gulf on Saturday that a ‘heavy assault’ on US facilities and military ships in the area would follow any additional aggression against Iranian oil tankers or commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz. In a post on X, the IRGC Navy Command issued the warning, saying, ‘Warning! One of the American centers in the area and the enemy’s ships will be heavily attacked if Iran‘s oil tankers and commercial ships are attacked.’ Following this, the IRGC Aerospace Force, in a separate post, stated that its missiles and drones have already been ‘locked onto American targets in the region’ and on ‘enemy aggressor ships’, adding that they are awaiting orders to fire. ‘IRGC Aerospace Force missiles and drones have locked onto American targets in the region and the enemy aggressor’s ships. We are awaiting the order to fire,’ the post read.

IRGC’s Fresh Warning, What Did Trump Say?

The remarks coincide with increased tensions in the region as a result of gunfights between Iranian and US naval forces close to the Strait of Hormuz, a vital international energy transit route. In spite of the ceasefire agreement between the two countries, US President Trump confirmed on Thursday that American and Iranian naval forces had engaged in gunfire in the Strait of Hormuz. He claimed that three American destroyers had successfully crossed the vital waterway despite being attacked. Trump claimed that three US Navy destroyers “transited very successfully” out of the Strait of Hormuz in a post on Truth Social, adding that Iranian forces opened fire on them while they were passing. The US President further claimed that Iranian naval boats were “completely destroyed,” adding that missiles and drones targeting the vessels were intercepted.

How Many Iranian Tankers Were Destroyed By US?

As part of the ongoing US blockade measures against the Islamic Republic, US naval troops destroyed two more Iranian-flagged oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman and redirected 57 commercial vessels in the area, according to a statement released by the US Central Command (CENTCOM) on Friday. The Iranian unladen tankers M/T Sea Star III and M/T Sevda were disabled by US forces before they could reach an Islamic Republic port on the Gulf of Oman, according to a statement released by CENTCOM. CENTCOM reports that both unladen oil tankers were prevented from entering Iranian territory by precise missiles fired at their smokestacks by a US Navy F/A-18 Super Hornet operating off of USS George HW Bush (CVN 77). Earlier, on May 6, the US forces disabled another Iranian-flagged tanker, M/T Hasna, as it attempted to sail to an Iranian port in the Gulf of Oman. As of April 13, the US CENTCOM has disabled four vessels in the region amid the blockade of Iranian ports, noting that it has redirected 58 commercial vessels during the same period. 

(With Inputs From ANI)

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