Washington: Marking a fresh escalation in the confrontation between Washington and Tehran, the US forces struck three Iranian crude oil tankers after Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) fired ballistic missiles toward two US Navy warships, the US military said Saturday.
A US aircraft carrier and a guided-missile destroyer successfully evaded multiple Iranian attacks, US Central Command said. No American personnel were injured.
“US Central Command (CENTCOM) forces struck three Iranian crude oil carriers, Sept. 5, after the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) launched ballistic missiles toward two U.S. Navy warships patrolling regional waters,” CENTCOM said.
The military described the Iranian attacks as unprovoked. CENTCOM did not identify the US aircraft carrier or destroyer targeted in the attacks in its statement.
US forces retaliated against 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.
American 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.
CENTCOM said 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.
“Iran has no means by which to defend them.”
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.
“We will not hesitate to defend American forces, and if necessary, destroy Iran’s limited and exposed oil fleet.
The military said the crew of the Kylo was ordered to abandon the vessel before US forces destroyed it.
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.
The Gulf of Oman and waters surrounding Iran are strategically important shipping routes connecting oil-producing states in the Gulf with international markets.
The latest strikes come amid an escalating confrontation between the United States and Iran, with President Donald Trump describing the hostilities on Friday as an intermittent “military conflict” rather than a full-scale war.
(IANS)
