US forces have struck three Iranian oil tankers after Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps launched ballistic missiles at two US Navy warships, marking a dramatic escalation in the growing maritime confrontation between Washington and Tehran. The US Central Command (CENTCOM) said the Iranian missiles targeted an American aircraft carrier and a guided-missile destroyer operating in regional waters.
Both warships successfully evaded multiple attacks, with no US personnel injured in the strikes, according to CENTCOM. In retaliation, US forces targeted three crude oil tankers that CENTCOM said were part of a multibillion-dollar shadow network allegedly used to generate revenue for Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and its regional proxies.
The M/T Downy was struck off Kharg Island, Iran’s main oil export hub, while the M/T Stark 1 was hit near Jask on Iran’s Gulf of Oman coast. CENTCOM said both vessels were “permanently disabled”. A third tanker, the M/T Kylo, also known as Noxen, was destroyed in the Gulf of Oman.
CENTCOM said the vessel was unladen at the time of the attack and that its crew had been instructed to abandon ship before US forces struck it at multiple locations. Footage released by CENTCOM showed attacks on all three vessels, including a series of explosions aboard the Kylo.
CENTCOM did not identify the US aircraft carrier or guided-missile destroyer targeted by Iran, and did not immediately provide further details about the ballistic missile attacks. The strikes come amid heightened tensions between Washington and Tehran, raising fresh concerns over the security of commercial shipping and vital energy routes in the region.