U.S. strikes Iranian oil tankers after missile attack on Navy vessels
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – U.S. forces struck three Iranian oil tankers after Iranian ballistic missiles targeted American Navy vessels in the region, the U.S. military said on Saturday, marking a dangerous escalation in the months-long conflict between Washington and Tehran.
U.S. Central Command said that an American aircraft carrier and a destroyer evaded “multiple unprovoked Iranian attacks” while patrolling in the region. No U.S. personnel were injured, it said.
In response, U.S. forces struck three Iranian oil carriers, permanently disabling two and destroying a third vessel that was unladen, according to the military.
The United States added that one tanker was struck off Kharg Island, a major Iranian oil-export hub in the Persian Gulf, while another was hit near Jask, east of the Strait of Hormuz. A third tanker was targeted in the Gulf of Oman after its crew was ordered to abandon ship.
Adm. Brad Cooper, the head of U.S. Central Command, said Washington would continue defending its forces.
“We will not hesitate to defend American forces, and if necessary, destroy Iran’s limited and exposed oil fleet,” Cooper said.
The U.S. military described the tankers as part of a “shadow network” used to generate funds for Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and its allied armed groups across the region.
Iran later said it had retaliated by targeting three oil tankers and three American vessels, according to state television, though the claims could not immediately be independently verified.
A spokesperson for Iran’s joint military command warned that Tehran’s attacks on U.S. naval vessels would become more severe if Washington continued what it described as interference with Iranian shipping.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry condemned the U.S. strikes as a war crime and warned that Washington and its allies would bear responsibility for the consequences of continued U.S. military and economic pressure.
The exchange represents a significant escalation after months of intermittent fighting that began with U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran on Feb. 28. It also marks a shift from previous Iranian maritime attacks that largely targeted commercial shipping toward direct attacks involving major U.S. military assets.