US Strikes Five Iranian Oil Tankers After Navy Attack

US Central Command has released footage of its forces destroying five Iranian crude oil tankers, describing the strikes as retaliation for Iranian attempts to hit US warships. This marks the second round of direct US attacks on Iranian vessels within days, extending a maritime confrontation that raises the danger of a wider regional war. A sustained cycle of naval strikes and counter-strikes between Washington and Tehran increases the risk that the conflict draws in Israel and other regional actors, a trajectory closely watched as a marker of escalating Middle East instability.