The United States reported striking and destroying three Iranian oil tankers on Saturday in response to attempted missile attacks on its naval vessels, marking the latest exchange of fire in the renewed hostilities between the adversaries.
These new clashes, which began with US raids last week, occur as both sides remain deadlocked in the six-month conflict, with Iran maintaining control over the Strait of Hormuz and Washington enforcing a counter-blockade of Iranian ports.
US Central Command (CENTCOM) stated it targeted tankers connected to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), alleging the powerful Iranian military branch unsuccessfully fired at American warships.
“Following Iran’s failed attacks, CENTCOM permanently disabled the IRGC crude oil carriers M/T Downy off the coast of Kharg Island and M/T Stark 1 near Jask,” the statement read.
“American forces also completely destroyed the unladen crude oil carrier M/T Kylo in the Gulf of Oman, striking the vessel in multiple critical locations to render it inoperable after the crew was directed to abandon ship.”
Video released by CENTCOM displayed large fireballs and billowing flames as projectiles struck the ships.
The three vessels were described as “part of a multibillion-dollar shadow network that funds the IRGC and its regional proxies,” according to the command.
Alongside its renewed military action, Washington is attempting to cripple Iran’s economy by announcing sanctions on entities with financial ties to the Islamic republic in an effort to further isolate it.
After the strikes, CENTCOM commander Admiral Brad Cooper stated: “If you shoot at two of our ships, we will impose an even higher economic cost — taking out three of yours.”
Iranian media earlier reported several explosions near the country’s major oil hub of Kharg Island in the Gulf on Saturday.
On Thursday, Tehran claimed its armed forces attacked US military bases in Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates, vowing to avenge civilian deaths at a wedding it blamed on an American strike.
US Vice President JD Vance said the alleged wedding strike, which the Iranian Red Crescent reported killed four people in a southern coastal town on Tuesday night, was under investigation, though he expressed skepticism regarding the reports.
– ‘Small potatoes’ –
The Trump administration has sought to minimize the significance of the six-month conflict, which has grown increasingly unpopular domestically as midterm elections approach.
Vance went so far as to say he “wouldn’t call it a war,” asserting that “right now, there is no active shooting” despite the ongoing exchanges of fire.
US President Donald Trump echoed his comments, dismissing the Iran war as “small potatoes” for the US and insisting, “It’s not a big thing.”
Iran’s security chief Mohsen Rezaei warned the US this week that the Islamic republic had adopted a “new strategy” against Washington in the war that “will shatter your foundations”.
The US has been escalating pressure on Tehran over its blockade of the Hormuz Strait, through which one-fifth of world oil supplies previously flowed.
A fragile ceasefire collapsed in July following attacks on commercial ships in the strategic waterway.
Trump has repeatedly threatened to claim sovereignty over the strait in recent weeks, even posting a map depicting it as a “new US territory”.
Vance also insisted that the US would not reopen talks with Iran until it ceased attacks on commercial shipping in the Hormuz.
However, with fuel prices threatening to cost Trump’s Republicans control of Congress at the ballot box, his administration has begun promoting the message that oil flows through the waterway are now returning to pre-war levels.
“Their control over the Strait of Hormuz is effectively gone,” Vance said of Iran on Thursday.
