US strikes Iranian oil tankers after missile attacks
US forces struck three Iranian crude oil tankers on Saturday after Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) fired ballistic missiles toward two US Navy warships, the US military said. According to US Central Command (CENTCOM), the attacks occurred on September 5 while the warships were patrolling regional waters. The military described the Iranian attacks as unprovoked and said a US aircraft carrier and a guided-missile destroyer successfully evaded multiple Iranian attacks, with no American personnel injured.
CENTCOM did not identify the specific US vessels targeted in its statement. The strikes were directed at three vessels that CENTCOM described as IRGC crude oil carriers. The M/T Downy was "permanently disabled" off the coast of Kharg Island, a major hub for Iranian oil exports, according to CENTCOM. US forces also permanently disabled the M/T Stark 1 near Jask. A third vessel, the M/T Kylo, also known as the "Noxen," was completely destroyed in the Gulf of Oman. CENTCOM said the Kylo was not carrying oil when it was struck and that the vessel was hit in multiple critical locations to render it inoperable after its crew was directed to abandon ship.
The US military described the three vessels as part of what it called a multibillion-dollar shadow network used to finance the IRGC and its regional proxies. "The three Iranian crude oil tankers are part of a multibillion-dollar shadow network that funds the IRGC and its regional proxies," CENTCOM said, adding, "Iran has no means by which to defend them."
Admiral Cooper's warning
Admiral Brad Cooper, Commander of US Central Command, directly linked the strikes on the tankers to the attacks on the American warships. "Let the message to the IRGC be clear: If you shoot at two of our ships, we will impose an even higher economic cost—taking out three of yours," Cooper said. He also stated that the US military would not hesitate to defend itself and could destroy Iran's "exposed" oil fleet if needed.
Iranian response
Iran has accused the US of attacking an Iranian tanker near Kharg Island in the Persian Gulf. The semi-official Iranian news agency Tasnim reported that there were no casualties and that the crew was being evacuated. Iran ranks as the third-largest oil producer within the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and is significantly dependent on Kharg Island, which acted as the shipping hub for 90 percent of its crude oil exports before the onset of the US-Iran conflict.
Context
The strikes mark a fresh escalation in the confrontation between Washington and Tehran. The latest confrontation expands the military contest into Iran's oil-shipping infrastructure, with CENTCOM explicitly portraying the strikes as an effort to impose an economic cost on the IRGC following attacks on American forces. US President Donald Trump commented on the situation in a social media post with an AI-generated video, saying that Kharg Island was being "blown to smithereens." Though Trump has repeatedly threatened to destroy Kharg Island's energy infrastructure, he has not ordered a strike that would cripple Iran's oil industry.