U.S. military hits 3 Iranian oil tankers after saying its navy warships were targeted
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warships → hit → tankers
Military says aircraft carrier, destroyer evaded 'multiple unprovoked Iranian attacks' while on patrol
U.S. forces struck three Iranian oil tankers after Navy warships were targeted with ballistic missiles, the American military said Saturday, warning that it would "if necessary, destroy Iran's limited and exposed oil fleet."
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it → say → fleet
Experts called it a dangerous escalation after Iran's previous attacks at sea targeted commercial shipping.
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attacks → call → shipping
The strikes — a day after U.S. President Donald Trump sought to minimize the conflict as "small potatoes" — keep up a new tilt back toward fighting after six months of on-again, off-again war that began with U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran on Feb. 28.
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that → seek → Feb.
Both sides have sought to inflict both military and economic pain, and negotiations have collapsed.
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negotiations → seek → pain
The military's statement said a U.S. aircraft carrier and a destroyer evaded "multiple unprovoked Iranian attacks" while patrolling in the region and no U.S. personnel were hurt.
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personnel → say → region
Iran attacks U.S. bases across Gulf after reports of deadly strike on wedding
Day of attacks by U.S. and Iran marks most serious escalation of conflict in weeks
It wasn't clear when the Iranian missiles were fired.
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missiles → attack → weeks
The statement said that two Iranian oil carriers were "permanently disabled" and the third, unladen one, was destroyed.
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one → say → ?
The U.S. statement said the tankers were part of a shadow network helping to fund Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guard and its armed proxies in the region.
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tankers → say → region
Iran says it struck back in response
Iran's state broadcaster said later Saturday that Iran targeted three oil tankers and three American vessels in response to the U.S. strikes.
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Iran → say → strikes
This couldn't be immediately confirmed.
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This → confirm → ?
A spokesperson with Iran's joint military command warned that strikes against U.S. military ships would be more severe if the U.S. continues to interfere with Iranian shipping, the state broadcaster reported.
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broadcaster → warn → shipping
That Iran targeted a U.S. aircraft carrier with a ballistic missile "indicates that Tehran is becoming increasingly willing to accept risks it previously sought to avoid, including directly threatening some of the most important U.S. military assets in the region," Danny Citrinowicz, an Iran expert at Israel's Institute for National Security Studies, said on X.
Iran's Revolutionary Guard retaliates after U.S. bombs targets in Strait of Hormuz
Iran defiant in face of new U.S. sanctions, promises to respond forcefully
Earlier, Iranian state television had said that four U.S. missiles struck a tanker about 10 kilometres from Kharg Island, home to a terminal through which the country exports most of its oil.
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country → target → oil
Kharg Island has been repeatedly targeted during the war, including in U.S. strikes on military sites there in March.
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Island → target → March
The U.S. said one tanker was struck off Kharg Island and another was struck near Jask, east of the Strait of Hormuz.
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another → say → Hormuz
The unladen tanker was hit in the Gulf of Oman.
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tanker → hit → Oman
The statement shared what it called video footage of the strikes.
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it → share → strikes
"We will not hesitate to defend American forces, and if necessary, destroy Iran's limited and exposed oil fleet," the head of U.S. Central Command Adm. Brad Cooper said.
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head → hesitate → Cooper
Iran's Foreign Ministry called the attacks a war crime and said that the consequences for continued U.S. aggression, including "economic warfare," would rest with Washington and its allies.
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consequences → call → Washington
Between the war and the disabling of ships during the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports, it's not immediately clear how many Iranian oil tankers have been targeted.
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tankers → target → ports
On May 8, the U.S. military said that it fired "precision munitions" into the smokestacks of two Iranian oil tankers, both unladen.
uncertain
both → say → tankers
Strikes come a week after fighting resumed
The latest strikes came nearly a week after the U.S. and Iran resumed attacks following a month of relative calm, with the strait and Iranian communities along it again being targeted.
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strait → come → it
At least five people were killed earlier in the week during a U.S. bombardment of southern Iran.
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people → kill → Iran
One strike hit a wedding.
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strike → hit → wedding
Masoumeh Zarei, 13, was wounded in the attack.
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Zarei → wound → attack
She spoke to The Associated Press at a hospital while being treated for injuries to her abdomen.
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She → speak → abdomen
She said that the wedding celebration had already begun when she set out to join it.
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she → say → it
She never made it there.
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She → make → it
She was knocked unconscious when a telecommunications tower was struck.
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tower → knock → ?
Her next memory was of waking up in a hospital.
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memory → wake → hospital
"The party had just started, and we wanted to go there," Zarei said, her voice hoarse.
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voice → start → ?
"I had made my nails really pretty for the party, but everything changed."
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everything → make → party
Her friend, Kiana Karimi, 14, also was wounded and in intensive care.
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friend → wound → care
She told the AP that she heard five explosions.
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she → tell → explosions
"The first three explosions at the telecommunications tower threw us to the ground," Karimi said.
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Karimi → throw → ground
"I quickly got up to pick my brothers up off the ground.
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I → get → ground
Then there were two more explosions, and after that I don't remember anything."
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I → be → anything
U.S. had tried to turn up economic pressure
The resumption of fighting came after new U.S. efforts to apply economic pressures on Tehran, whose hard-line new senior leaders have signalled the willingness to dig in after weathering decades of sanctions.
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leaders → try → sanctions
The elected government of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, however, has said that it favours a negotiated end to the war.
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it → elect → war
Iran has found ways over the years to circumvent sanctions — and now a U.S. blockade of its ports — and get its oil to buyers to help ease growing economic pressures.
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Iran → find → pressures
…and 5 more, not listed.
