Iranian state television has broadcast footage it said showed ballistic missile attacks on a US aircraft carrier and destroyer, as Iran and the US exchanged strikes on military and oil-related targets in and around the Strait of Hormuz.Iran’s IRGC said the two US warships were targeted with IranianQasem Basir ballistic missiles, alleging that the vessels had participated in a naval blockade of Iranian shipping, reports the Middle East Monitor.
The IRGC claimed the missiles damaged both vessels and forced them to withdraw from the area. The footage broadcast by Iranian state media was presented as documenting the attacks.The Iranian military described the strikes as retaliation for US attacks on three Iranian oil tankers.
The US military on Sep. 5 said it had targeted three tankers linked to the Revolutionary Guard. It described the vessels as part of a network generating funds for the IRGC and Iran-aligned groups in the region.
According to the US military, one tanker was targeted off Kharg Island, the site of Iran’s largest oil export terminal, another near the Strait of Hormuz, and the third in the Gulf of Oman.
The Revolutionary Guardsaid three Iranian tankers had been attacked and subsequently announced retaliatory operations against US naval assets.They also said their forces had targeted three oil tankers that were allegedly transiting the strait without authorisation, as well as several US warships in other locations.