US-Iran Tanker War Threatens Environmental Disaster in Strait of Hormuz

The United States and Iran are exchanging direct military strikes on oil tankers and naval targets around the Strait of Hormuz, with the US hitting five Iranian tankers on September 8 and Iran retaliating against a US base in Jordan, after earlier exchanges that saw Iran fire ballistic missiles at a US carrier group. At least 75 vessels have been attacked since the war began, with fires, sinkings and spreading oil spills now threatening Gulf coastlines and desalination plants serving millions. This documented, direct US-Iran confrontation marks a material widening of the conflict with an active threat to regional shipping and civilian infrastructure.