Recently, the US military has frequently struck Iranian oil tankers and other targets, with both sides retaliating in succession.
On the 9th, Iran condemned the US attack on its ships, claiming it had retaliated by striking two US warships and eight oil tankers, among other targets. The US subsequently denied that its naval vessels had been attacked by Iran.
On the same day, US President Trump stated that he expected the war against Iran to end after the US midterm elections in November.
Meanwhile, due to the depletion of global inventories caused by the conflict with Iran, the US Energy Information Administration raised its oil price forecasts for this year and next.
On the 8th, the US Central Command announced on social media that the US military destroyed five Iranian oil tankers that day after Iran attacked a US warship. On the 9th, the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps issued a statement claiming that in response, the Revolutionary Guard struck two US warships and eight oil tankers that day, and also struck ten vessels that violated regulations. The US Central Command subsequently denied on social media that its naval vessels had been attacked by Iran.
Iran's Foreign Ministry issued a statement on September 9 condemning the U.S. military's attack on several Iranian vessels on September 8. The statement said that in response to the U.S. attack on Iranian ships, the Iranian armed forces had struck U.S. military bases and facilities in the region and carried out "defensive strikes" against several U.S. vessels. The statement also said that the Iranian armed forces "will not hesitate" in exercising their legitimate right to self-defense and will resolutely respond to all military aggression by the enemy in an appropriate manner.
