US Strikes Three Iranian Oil Tankers After Attacks

US forces struck three Iranian oil tankers on Saturday after the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps launched ballistic missiles towards two American warships, marking another sharp escalation in the conflict between Washington and Tehran.

The US Central Command said an American aircraft carrier and a guided-missile destroyer successfully evaded multiple Iranian attacks while operating in regional waters. No US personnel were reported injured.

According to CENTCOM, two of the Iranian crude carriers were permanently disabled, while a third, which was not carrying a load, was completely destroyed.

The US military identified the vessels as the M/T Downy, struck off the coast of Kharg Island, and the M/T Stark 1, targeted near Jask. The third vessel, the M/T Kylo, also known as the Noxen, was destroyed in the Gulf of Oman after its crew was ordered to abandon the ship.

CENTCOM said the vessels were connected to what it described as a multibillion-dollar “shadow network” allegedly used to finance Iran’s Revolutionary Guard and its regional armed proxies.

Adm. Brad Cooper, commander of US Central Command, said Washington would continue defending its forces and could take further action against Iran’s oil fleet.

The latest strikes followed an Iranian missile attack that the US said targeted its naval forces. Reuters reported that the American military viewed the tanker strikes as an attempt to impose an economic cost on Tehran in response to the attacks.

Iranian authorities, meanwhile, accused the US of attacking an Iranian tanker near Kharg Island. Iranian state television reported that four US missiles struck a tanker close to the island, although the competing accounts could not be independently reconciled immediately.

The strikes have raised concerns over the security of commercial shipping and energy supplies in the Gulf. Kharg Island is a major Iranian oil export hub, while the nearby Strait of Hormuz is one of the world’s most important oil-shipping routes.

The confrontation comes after months of intermittent fighting between the United States and Iran. Reuters reported that hostilities resumed after a period of relative calm, with both sides increasingly targeting military and economic assets.

The latest escalation could further threaten shipping through the Gulf and put additional pressure on global energy markets as Washington and Tehran remain locked in a widening military confrontation.

The US strikes Iranian oil tankers represent a significant escalation in the ongoing conflict and could have wider consequences for regional security and global oil supplies.

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