New Middle East Strike: US Disables Three Iranian Tankers as Iran Retaliates in the Strait of Hormuz

The conflict between the United States and Iran has flared again at sea, with attacks on tankers and other vessels around the Persian Gulf and nearby waters. US Central Command said American forces disabled two tankers linked to Iran on Saturday and completely destroyed a third.

One of the targeted tankers was near Kharg Island, Iran’s main oil-export terminal, while another was attacked in the Gulf of Oman. CENTCOM said the vessels belonged to a multibillion-dollar “shadow fleet” that Washington claims helps finance Iran’s Revolutionary Guard and its regional allies.

Iran confirmed the US attacks, then announced a response. Iranian state media said the IRGC attacked six ships: three vessels linked to the United States and three oil tankers that had traveled through the Strait of Hormuz along a route Tehran considers unauthorized.

CENTCOM also said Iranian forces had earlier tried to attack a US aircraft carrier and a guided-missile destroyer. The American vessels avoided the attacks, according to the command, and no US service members were injured. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had warned before the latest strikes that Washington would respond to any Iranian attack on American ships.

The Strait of Hormuz has become a central flashpoint in the conflict. The narrow passage between Iran and Oman connects the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and serves as a major route for energy shipments. Iran has insisted on a degree of control over the waterway and has previously attacked ships using the southern route through Omani waters, according to the report. US President Donald Trump has said the strait is “open,” while the US military assists ships using that southern route. Kharg Island is particularly important to Iran, with about 90 percent of the country’s crude oil exports reportedly passing through the terminal. Iranian state media said no one was killed in the strike near Kharg, while crews from two tankers attacked in the Gulf of Oman were reportedly rescued in lifeboats.

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