US forces target Iranian tankers linked to Revolutionary Guard

A US official said American forces targeted several Iranian tankers connected to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, in response to renewed attempts to launch missile attacks on a US Navy warship.

Meanwhile, Iran's state broadcaster reported that US forces attacked a second oil tanker near the waters off Jask.

On Tuesday, the United States imposed 36 new sanctions related to Iran, targeting the aviation sector and other companies as part of a broad campaign to increase economic pressure on Tehran as the Middle East conflict enters its seventh month.

The US Treasury Department said the measures aim to halt the operations of Mahan Air, an Iranian airline already sanctioned by both the US and the European Union, and to expand sanctions to all other Iranian airlines. The sanctions also targeted so-called front companies, shipping handlers, foreign intermediaries, and deceptive shipping routes that Washington says Iran uses to acquire US-origin aircraft and sensitive technology.

The Treasury instructed financial institutions to report any procurement networks supporting Iran's aviation sector, and designated companies in Turkey, the UAE, Malaysia, and Kazakhstan as having assisted Iranian airlines and enabled Tehran to obtain US-origin aircraft and sensitive technology.

The Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control also suspended three aviation licenses linked to Tehran, which had allowed flights over Iranian airspace and permitted non-US airlines to operate US-origin or US-controlled commercial aircraft to Iran.