The United States struck three Iranian crude oil tankers on Saturday after Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps launched ballistic missiles toward two U.S. Navy warships operating in regional waters, according to U.S. Central Command.
CENTCOM said a U.S. aircraft carrier and guided-missile destroyer successfully evaded multiple Iranian attacks and that no American personnel were injured. U.S. forces then targeted three Iranian crude oil carriers in what CENTCOM described as a retaliatory strike.
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The military said it permanently disabled a crude oil tanker off the coast of Kharg Island, one near Jask, and completely destroyed an unladen crude oil carrier in the Gulf of Oman.
According to CENTCOM, the three tankers were part of a multibillion-dollar shadow network used to fund Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and its regional proxies.
“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,” Adm. Brad Cooper, commander of U.S. Central Command, said. “We will not hesitate to defend American forces, and if necessary, destroy Iran’s limited and exposed oil fleet.”
The strikes come days after President Donald Trump ordered renewed attacks against Iran following a period of halted strikes in July.
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The renewed fighting has also put pressure on global oil markets. Oil prices have risen this week due to Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a critical route for global energy shipments. Trump has argued that the increase will be temporary and that oil prices will fall sharply if Iran’s government collapses.
Trump also reiterated Friday that he does not consider the U.S. military operation in Iran a traditional war, echoing comments from Vice President JD Vance the previous day. Vance told reporters Thursday that he would not characterize the conflict as a war, saying there was “no active shooting” at the time.
