US strikes Iran tankers under new "tanker for tanker" policy: Axios

• US forces struck two Iranian government-owned tankers during Tuesday’s wave of strikes, US officials told Axios.
• The operation reportedly included around 100 targets as Washington sought to degrade Iran’s ability to attack shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.

The US military struck two Iranian government tankers as part of its latest wave of attacks on Iran, US officials told Axios.

The strikes mark the first reported instance of US forces targeting Iranian tankers in retaliation for attacks on vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, rather than to prevent ships from violating the US naval blockade.

A US official said President Donald Trump approved a new “tanker for tanker” policy intended to deter further Iranian attacks on tankers transiting the strategic waterway.

The two Iranian tankers were reportedly anchored off Iran’s coast, north of the US naval blockade line. US drones fired missiles at the vessels’ engine rooms, according to US officials.

US officials said around 100 targets were hit during Tuesday’s strikes.

The targets included Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) air defense sites, radar systems, mine-laying capabilities, communications facilities, anti-ship cruise missile launchers and attack drone launchers.

The White House and US Central Command said the strikes were carried out in response to recent attempted IRGC attacks on commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, as well as attacks targeting US bases across the region.

US officials also said the strikes were part of a broader plan being considered by Trump and senior aides to prevent Iran from rebuilding the radar and missile capabilities it could use to target vessels crossing the strait.

One US official described the strategy as an effort to “mow the lawn,” aimed at reducing the threat to oil tankers, US Navy ships and military aircraft.

A US official told Axios that the latest strikes had degraded Iran’s capabilities in the strait and “bought at least a month” of lower threat levels for commercial shipping.

US officials said Iran responded by launching around 25 ballistic missiles, with only about half reaching Jordanian airspace. They said 10 were intercepted and three landed without causing casualties.

Iran also launched around two dozen drones toward US bases in Bahrain, most of which were intercepted, according to a US official.

Additional ballistic missiles and drones were fired toward US bases in Kuwait, while two drones targeted a US base in Erbil in Iraq’s Kurdistan region. Both were intercepted, US officials said.

Despite the exchange of fire, US forces continued guiding commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz.

A US official said around 40 ships transited in and out of the waterway on Tuesday, carrying millions of barrels of oil. The official said US forces intercepted several anti-ship cruise missiles and drones launched by the IRGC toward the vessels, with none of the ships hit.

The latest strikes also triggered a dispute over reported civilian casualties.

Iranian media reported that a US strike hit a wedding ceremony in Kuhestak, killing at least four people and injuring at least 35 others.

CENTCOM spokesman Capt. Tim Hawkins said the US military was aware of the reports, which he said originated from Iranian state media.

“The U.S. military never targets civilians, unlike the IRGC,” Hawkins said.