US Central Command said American forces struck three Iranian crude oil tankers on Saturday after Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps launched ballistic missiles toward a US aircraft carrier and guided-missile destroyer operating in regional waters. According to CENTCOM, both warships evaded the missiles with no damage or American casualties, and in retaliation US forces permanently disabled the crude oil carriers M/T Downy off the coast of Kharg Island and M/T Stark 1 near the port of Jask, while destroying a third vessel, the unladen tanker M/T Kylo, also known as Noxen, in the Gulf of Oman after directing its crew to abandon ship. CENTCOM described the three tankers as part of a “multibillion-dollar shadow network” used to fund the IRGC and its regional proxies.
CENTCOM commander Admiral Brad Cooper warned that “If you shoot at two of our ships, we will impose an even higher economic cost — taking out three of yours,” adding the US would not hesitate to defend its forces or, if necessary, target Iran’s oil fleet further. Iran’s Foreign Ministry condemned the strikes as illegal and accused Washington of waging a naval blockade and economic war, while Iran’s semiofficial Fars news agency reported that the IRGC had attacked the carrier and destroyer for allegedly harassing Iranian vessels. Iran’s Supreme National Security Council secretary said a restricted zone outside the Strait of Hormuz would be announced in coming days, as the exchange marked an escalation in the shipping war that has periodically disrupted Gulf oil traffic and tanker insurance costs since fighting resumed this week after a month-long lull.
Source: CNN — https://www.cnn.com/2026/09/05/middleeast/iran-us-tanker-kharg-intl
Tags: Strait of Hormuz, Iran, US Navy, Oil Tankers
