On June 13, 2019, the Japanese tanker Kokuka Courageous and the Norwegian tanker Front Altair were attacked in the Gulf of Oman, rocked by explosions that blew holes into the sides of both ships| The Soufan Center
In 2011, Congress sought to reduce Iran’s exportation of oil by passing a law, which was ultimately enacted, that imposes penalties for transactions with Iran’s Central Bank, the entity in control of Iran’s oil payments| The Soufan Center
On June 20, 2019, President Trump authorized and later reversed his approval for a U.S. air and missile strike on Iranian missile and radar batteries. The strikes were designed in retaliation for the Iranian downing, one day earlier, of a U.S. unmanned aerial surveillance aircraft over the Persian Gulf| The Soufan Center