US Strikes Three Iranian Oil Tankers After IRGC Missile Attack on American Warships, CENTCOM Says
The United States has struck three Iranian crude-oil tankers after Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) launched ballistic missiles toward two U.S. Navy warships, marking a sharp escalation in the confrontation between Washington and Tehran. U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said the American vessels successfully evaded the attacks and that no U.S. personnel were injured.
CENTCOM said the targeted vessels were connected to an Iranian shadow-oil network allegedly generating billions of dollars to support the IRGC and its regional armed proxies. The American military described the strikes as both a military response and an economic blow against Iran’s ability to finance its operations.
According to CENTCOM, two of the tankers were permanently disabled while a third, which was empty, was destroyed. The reported locations included waters near Kharg Island, Iran’s most important oil-export hub, near Jask and in the Gulf of Oman. Crews were instructed to abandon the vessels before the strikes, according to the U.S. military.
The incident began with what Washington described as multiple “unprovoked” Iranian attacks against U.S. naval forces. A U.S. aircraft carrier and a guided-missile destroyer were among the vessels targeted by the IRGC missile launches, but the warships avoided being hit.
CENTCOM Commander Adm. Brad Cooper issued an unusually direct warning to Tehran following the operation. He said the United States would continue imposing economic costs on Iran if American forces were attacked and warned that Washington could target more of Iran’s limited oil fleet.
The strikes also carry major significance for global energy markets because Kharg Island is central to Iran’s oil-export infrastructure. Any sustained American campaign against Iranian tankers or terminals could further restrict Iranian crude exports and increase pressure on already disrupted energy supplies. Reuters reported Brent crude had risen to around $96 a barrel amid the latest regional instability.
Iranian sources confirmed that at least one tanker near Kharg Island had been attacked and reported that its crew members were evacuated. Tehran had not, at the time of the latest reports, provided a full official response to the U.S. strikes.
The latest exchange comes after a period of relative calm was broken by renewed U.S.-Iran military action. The conflict has already affected commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most strategically important energy routes, where continuing military confrontation has sharply reduced maritime traffic.
The danger now is that the confrontation moves beyond isolated retaliatory attacks into a sustained campaign against each side’s military and economic infrastructure. Washington is signaling that attacks on U.S. forces will bring direct economic retaliation, while Iran retains the ability to threaten American forces and shipping across the Gulf region.
For the moment, the most important question is whether Tehran responds militarily to the tanker strikes. A further Iranian attack on U.S. ships or energy infrastructure could trigger another American response and push the conflict into a much broader phase, with the Strait of Hormuz and global oil supplies remaining at the center of the crisis.
