| Operation Nimble Archer | |
|---|---|
| Part of Iran–Iraq War, Operation Earnest Will | |
 An Iranian oil platform set ablaze after shelling by American destroyers | |
| Location | |
| Commanded by |  United States |
| Target | Two Iranian oil platforms (Resalat and Reshadat) |
| Date | 19 October 1987 |
| Executed by | United States Navy: 6 warships, 3 aircraft |
American victory
| |
| Casualties | None |
Operation Nimble Archer was the 19 October 1987 attack on two Iranian oil platforms in the Persian Gulf by United States Navy forces. The attack was a response to Iran's missile attack on MV Sea Isle City, a reflagged Kuwaiti oil tanker at anchor off Kuwait, which had occurred three days earlier. The action occurred during Operation Earnest Will, the effort to protect Kuwaiti shipping amid the Iran–Iraq War.
Iran subsequently filed a lawsuit against the United States for reparations at the International Court of Justice. The Court ruled, by 14 votes to two, that the retaliatory attacks by the U.S. Navy against certain Iranian oil platforms in the Persian Gulf in 1987 and 1988 constituted an unlawful use of force but did not violate 1955 Treaty of Amity.[2]
- ^ Peniston, Bradley (2006). "Photos: Operation Nimble Archer". No Higher Honor. Archived from the original on 8 July 2022. Retrieved 4 February 2013.
- ^ Bekker, Pieter (11 November 2003). "The World Court Finds that U.S. Attacks on Iranian Oil Platforms in 1987–1988 Were Not Justifiable as Self-Defense, but the United States Did Not Violate the Applicable Treaty with Iran". American Society of International Law. Archived from the original on 5 October 2018. Retrieved 13 May 2017.