War in Iran escalates again after an attack on oil tankers

Written by journalist Danylo Aleksandrov

The US war against Iran escalated yet another time after commercial shipping came under attack in the Strait of Hormuz with fears arising over new hostilities which would cause chaos for the global economy.

Previously the United Arab Emirates said that two of their oil tankers were hit by Iranian cruise missiles while going through the waterway. As a result of the attack, one crewman was killed while eight others were injured while a fire broke out on both ships. UAE’s Ministry of Defense called this a breach of international law and said that it reserves the right to take the necessary measures to protect the country’s interests.

An exchange of strikes began between US and Iran. US Central Command reported that it carried out an operation in the south of Iran which took 5 hours, targeting a wide range of targets. At the same time Iran said that it attacked a vessel belonging to the US as well as US military sites in Bahrein and Kuwait. 4 Iranian missiles crossed into the airspace of Jordan and were intercepted, as was reported by the country’s authorities.

This happens before the new US blockade of the Strait will take place, as was previously announced by President Trump. According to him, the blockade will block ships traveling to and from Iranian ports, while letting all of the other ships to pass. He also said that USA would become the “Guardian of the Hormuz Strait” and proposed imposing a 20% charge on commercial cargo passing through.

While ships still navigate through the waterway, fears arise of new unpredictable developments that could again cause a rise in oil prices and, as a consequence, prices of other products worldwide.