Iran: Revolutionary Guard says four vessels caught fire in the Gulf as U.S. and Israel draw up strike plans
Washington — Tensions between the United States and Iran escalated this Thursday on two fronts: the Navy of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said four vessels involved in illegal oil transfers in the northern Persian Gulf were "simultaneously hit and caught fire," while U.S. officials confirmed that the United States and Israel have developed specific plans for renewed strikes against Iran after November's midterm elections.
According to Reuters, the Revolutionary Guard added that three more vessels collided with mines west of the Strait of Hormuz and warned Washington that "provocations" could trigger a broader response against its regional bases.
The New York Times revealed that the U.S. and Israeli militaries have drawn up plans for a "short but intensive" operation after the November 3 elections, targeting energy infrastructure, nuclear facilities and Iran's missile and drone arsenal. Dozens of Israeli Air Force fighter jets flew this Monday to the Iranian border in practice sorties, sources told Axios.
The U.S. government ordered non-emergency personnel and their families out of Saudi Arabia, a move markets read as a sign of a possible imminent operation. State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott denied that a similar order was being prepared for other embassies in the Gulf.
President Donald Trump told reporters that "something, one way or another," will happen "fairly soon" in Iran, although he has promised no strikes before the elections. Tehran vowed widespread retaliation if attacked, naming critical data centers and undersea internet cables among its potential targets.
Photo: A Lo Claro Archive