US strikes 3 Iranian oil tankers after IRGC attack on American naval ship
Summary
U.S. forces struck three Iranian oil tankers on Saturday, U.S. Central Command said, after Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps fired ballistic missiles at two U.S. Navy ships. One tanker was hit off Kharg Island near Iran’s main oil export hub, and no American personnel were harmed. Iran threatened more severe attacks on U.S. military vessels in the region. The exchange followed a recent escalation that has disrupted global energy supplies.
Key Facts
- U.S. Central Command said one of the tankers was struck off the coast of Kharg Island, near Iran’s key oil export hub.
- Admiral Brad Cooper said the response was meant to impose a higher economic cost after the IRGC attack on two U.S. Navy ships.
- Tasnim reported that four U.S. missiles hit a tanker in the area of Kharg’s anchorage, and local sources said there were no casualties.
- The article says the conflict has dragged on since the U.S. and Israel launched strikes on Iran in February and has disrupted global energy supplies.
- Brent crude futures closed at $96.28 a barrel on Friday, their highest level since July 24.
This screen grab made on Saturday from handout video footage released by the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) shows what CENTCOM says are strikes that destroyed three oil tankers linked to Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps after the Iranian military organisation fired on American warships. The United States said it struck and destroyed three Iranian oil tankers on Sept. 5 in response to attempted missile attacks on naval vessels, in the latest exchange of fire since renewed hostilities flared between the foes. The new clashes, which began with U.S. raids last week, come with both sides deadlocked in the six-month war as Iran keeps a stranglehold on the Strait of Hormuz and Washington presses its counter-blockade of Iranian ports. Photo by US Central Command (CENTCOM) / AFP-Yonhap
DUBAI — U.S. forces struck three Iranian oil tankers on Saturday, U.S. Central Command said, including one off the coast of Kharg Island, near Iran's key oil export hub.
The strikes were carried out after Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps launched ballistic missiles at two U.S. Navy ships, Central Command said.
“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," said Admiral Brad Cooper, head of U.S. Central Command.
Iran responded by threatening intensified strikes against U.S. military vessels in the region.
"If the evil, insecurity and harassment of Iranian ships and the naval blockade of Iran continue, the strikes of the Islamic Republic of Iran's armed forces against U.S. military vessels in the region will be more severe than before and there is a possibility of their expansion," Iran's military command said in a post on state media.
Tasnim, the semi-official Iranian news agency, reported earlier that four U.S. missiles hit a tanker in the area of Kharg's anchorage. Tasnim quoted local sources as saying there were no casualties and the tanker's crew was being evacuated.
No American personnel were harmed, Central Command said.
The exchange of attacks followed an escalation in the past week that threatens to deepen a conflict that has dragged on since the U.S. and Israel launched strikes on Iran in February, disrupting global energy supplies and drawing opposition from a majority of Americans before congressional elections in November.
Trump's threats over Kharg Island
U.S. President Donald Trump said on August 31 in a one-line social media post accompanied by an AI-generated video that Kharg Island was being "blown to smithereens". Iranian authorities have vowed a strong response if Kharg is attacked.
Iran is the third-largest producer in the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and exported 90% of its crude via Kharg Island before the war, but flows have been disrupted since a U.S. blockade of Iranian oil exports began in mid-April.
Trump said on June 11 that he wanted to take over Kharg Island, but then said a threatened U.S. military operation there was off the table for now, days before Tehran and Washington signed an interim agreement aimed at ending the war on June 17.
A U.S. attack on Kharg would further pressure Iran's oil industry and its wider economy, which is already reeling from the U.S. naval blockade.
The U.S. imposed its blockade on Iranian ports after Iran effectively shut the Strait of Hormuz, an important waterway that carried one-fifth of the world's oil supply before the war.
Brent crude futures closed at their highest level since July 24 on Friday, at $96.28 a barrel, as tensions in the Middle East drive global supply concerns.
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