US launches new 'tanker for tanker' policy, strikes Iranian ships in Strait of Hormuz - report

The strikes mark the first time that the US has launched direct retaliatory strikes on Iranian ships in the strait, rather than preventing them from violating the US-imposed naval blockade. Follow us on GoogleVessels near the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Musandam, Oman, August 31, 2026.(photo credit: REUTERS/STRINGER)SEPTEMBER 2, 2026 04:39Updated: SEPTEMBER 2, 2026 04:46The US military struck two Islamic Revolutionary Guard (IRGC) tankers on Tuesday in the first direct retaliatory attack on Iranian ships since the beginning of the war, Axios reported on Tuesday, citing US officials. The move is part of a new “tanker for tanker” policy approved by US President Donald Trump, the report said, and aims to further deter Iranian attacks on ships moving through the Strait of Hormuz.Prior to the new strategy, the US had only prevented Iranian ships from violating the naval blockade.The tankers were anchored off Iran's coast north of the US naval blockade line, said Axios, when US drones launched missiles and hit their engine rooms. The White House and US Central Command (CENTCOM) claimed the strikes were in response to recent attacks by Iran on commercial ships in the Strait, as well as American bases in the region.Smoke rises from explosions at an unknown location, following what US Central Command (CENTCOM) said were strikes on Iran in response to an Iranian drone strike on a cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz, in this screen grab from video released June 26, 2026. (credit: US CENTRAL COMMAND/HANDOUT VIA REUTERS)However, the attacks were part of a larger plan to prevent Tehran from rebuilding radar and missile capabilities used to attack the ships, the report added.One US official said the strategy was to “mow the lawn” in order to reduce the risk of Iranian attacks on oil tankers and US military assets in the region, said Axios. Around 100 Iranian targets hit on Tuesday, US official saysAround 100 targets were attacked during Tuesday’s round of strikes, Axios cited US officials as saying. IRGC air defense sites, radar systems, mine-laying capabilities, communications sites, anti-ship cruise missile launchers and attack drone launchers were among the targets hit, the officials said.Iran has in response launched attacks on Jordan, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Iraq. The US embassy in Jerusalem issued a security warning for American citizens in the Middle East due to rising tensions. Similarly, Bahrain's Interior Ministry issued an alert for "potential threats in the country."The renewed strikes degraded Tehran’s capabilities in Hormuz and “bought at least a month” of lowered threat levels for commercial tankers, a US official told Axios.Trump: 'Almost total control of Hormuz Strait'Trump claimed that he “couldn’t care less” if Iran signs an agreement in a post on Truth Social on Tuesday.“I like our position now much better, with almost total control of the Hormuz Strait, and their economy totally collapsing,” he said in the post.Follow us on Google