Iraq escalates Tanker War attacks Iran Kharg Island oil terminal and neutral shipping in Gulf

Iraq expands its anti-shipping campaign by attacking Iran's Kharg Island oil terminal, its main export facility, and begins striking tankers belonging to Iran's Gulf Arab trading partners. Iraq's aim is to provoke Iran into closing the Strait of Hormuz and triggering foreign military intervention. Iran retaliates by attacking Kuwaiti and Saudi tankers carrying Iraqi oil. Both sides establish exclusion zones in the Persian Gulf. The escalation marks the beginning of the most intense phase of the Iran-Iraq War's tanker war.