The US president has also predicted that the war will end and oil prices will fall after the midterm elections
President Donald Trump has claimed that the US has already taken out “about nine” Iranian oil tankers and threatened to attack “a lot more,” as Washington and Tehran trade strikes on commercial and military vessels around the Strait of Hormuz.
US Central Command has publicly confirmed that it destroyed eight Iranian crude carriers in two recent operations – three on September 5 and another five on Tuesday – after accusing the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) of firing ballistic missiles at American warships.
“We’ve taken out about nine of their tankers,” Trump told reporters on Wednesday. “You’re going to see a lot more.”
The president did not elaborate on potential targets or the timing of further attacks, but Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned that Tehran would continue to lose tankers whenever it targeted American naval vessels.
CENTCOM forces destroyed five Iranian crude oil carriers, Sept. 8, after the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) targeted a U.S. Navy warship with ballistic missiles twice over the past two days. The U.S. warship successfully evaded the attempted Iranian attacks and… pic.twitter.com/Gi8a2tloN1
“They lost five more last night. Four were damaged. One was sunk. So they’ll continue to pay a price for that,” Rubio said, adding that Washington would meanwhile continue to “strangle them economically.”
CENTCOM said the five vessels struck on Tuesday were the Kaviz, Charminar, Horizon 1 and Riesco in the Gulf of Oman, and the Derya near Kharg Island, Iran’s main oil export hub. American forces ordered the crews to abandon the ships before they were attacked and “rendered inoperable,” the command said.
Iran has retaliated by claiming attacks on ten vessels near the Strait of Hormuz, including two US Navy ships and eight tankers. CENTCOM has denied that its warships were hit. Tehran also launched ballistic missiles toward the Al-Azraq air base in Jordan, while the IRGC warned tanker crews near Bahrain and Kuwait to abandon their vessels ahead of potential attacks.
The renewed maritime confrontation has driven Brent crude back above $100 a barrel amid concerns over further disruption to one of the world’s most important energy corridors.
Trump, however, predicted that oil prices would stabilize and that the broader war with Iran would end “immediately after” the November 3 US midterm elections, claiming Tehran has already lost and is attempting to hold out long enough to influence the vote.
“I think the war will end immediately after the election because they can’t hold out any longer,” he said.
Asked about the prospect of renewed negotiations with Tehran, Trump said Washington was “not looking for it,” although he acknowledged that talks could still take place.
“There is a lot more than nuclear,” he said of any potential agreement, adding that other issues would now have to be put “on the table.”
