The US military has struck three Iranian oil tankers after claiming that its warships came under missile attack, warning that it would destroy Iran’s “limited and exposed oil fleet” if necessary.
US Central Command said an aircraft carrier and a destroyer had evaded multiple “unprovoked Iranian attacks” while operating in the region. No American personnel were injured, it said.
Two of the tankers were described as “permanently disabled”, while a third, which was carrying no cargo, was destroyed. The US said the vessels formed part of a shadow network used to finance Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and its regional proxies.
One tanker was hit near Kharg Island, the site of the terminal through which most of Iran’s oil exports pass, while another was struck near Jask, east of the Strait of Hormuz. The empty vessel was attacked in the Gulf of Oman.
Iranian state television reported earlier that four US missiles had hit a tanker about 10km from Kharg Island. The strategically important island has been targeted repeatedly during the conflict, including in US strikes on military positions in March.
Admiral Brad Cooper, the head of US Central Command, said: “We will not hesitate to defend American forces, and if necessary, destroy Iran’s limited and exposed oil fleet.”
US strikes three Iranian oil tankers as conflict intensifies
The attacks came a day after President Donald Trump sought to play down the latest confrontation, describing the conflict as “small potatoes”. Fighting has now continued intermittently for six months, after US and Israeli strikes on Iran began on February 28.
Attempts to negotiate an end to the conflict have broken down, while both sides have sought to damage the other’s military capabilities and economy. The latest escalation followed a month of relative calm and renewed attacks around the Strait of Hormuz.
At least five people were killed earlier in the week during a US bombardment of southern Iran, according to the source material, with one strike hitting a wedding.
The confrontation is closely linked to Iran’s nuclear programme, which was due to be discussed in negotiations that collapsed soon after Washington and Tehran signed a memorandum of understanding in June.
Iran has since sought to use the Strait of Hormuz as leverage. The waterway is vital to international oil and gas shipments and had been treated as an international maritime route before the war.
The US military has been helping commercial vessels navigate the strait as Tehran asserts control and targets some ships. Overall traffic through the waterway remains sharply reduced.
