U.S. attacks 3 Iranian tankers in tit-for-tat response

U.S. forces struck three Iranian oil tankers Saturday after Iran fired ballistic missiles at two U.S. Navy warships, U.S. Central Command said.

Why it matters: The strikes continue a tit-for-tat war that just passed the six-month mark.

• A U.S. official told Axios this week it had a new "tanker-for-tanker" policy approved by President Trump.

Driving the news: CENTCOM said it retaliated after a U.S. aircraft carrier and guided-missile destroyer evaded missiles fired by Iran.

• The U.S. attacks "permanently disabled" the M/T Downy and the M/T Stark 1, CENTCOM said in a news release.
• They also "completely destroyed" the M/T Kylo in the Gulf of Oman after the crew was warned to abandon ship.
• CENTCOM posted footage of the strikes on social media.

The big picture: On the first day of the war, Trump told Axios he "can go long and take over the whole thing, or end it in two or three days."

• The next day, he predicted to the Daily Mail the military campaign would "take four weeks — or less." Six months later, the U.S. and Iran are still trading attacks.
• The latest exchange came a day after Trump called the Iran conflict "small potatoes" and two days after Vice President Vance insisted there was no war and "no active shooting" between the two.
• An Aug. 14–17 Economist/YouGov poll found 65% of Americans want the U.S. to make a deal to end the war as quickly as possible.