US destroys three Iranian shadow-fleet tankers: “Iran has no way to defend them”

The United States says it destroyed three Iranian tankers after Iranian forces fired ballistic missiles toward an American aircraft carrier and a guided-missile destroyer. The warships reportedly avoided being hit.

“

Iran has no means to defend them.

CENTCOM said US forces “permanently disabled” the M/T Downy near Khark Island and the M/T Stark 1 near Jask, by the Strait of Hormuz. They completely destroyed the empty M/T Kylo in the Gulf of Oman after first ordering the vessel to evacuate. All three tankers were described as part of Iran’s so-called shadow fleet.

“Iran has no means to defend them,” CENTCOM wrote in a statement on X. Admiral Brad Cooper, the commander of CENTCOM, said the strikes were intended to send a clear message to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

“

If you fire on two of our ships, you will pay an even greater economic cost: we will destroy three of yours.

“If you fire on two of our ships, you will pay an even greater economic cost: we will destroy three of yours,” Cooper said. He added that US forces would not hesitate to defend American personnel and, if necessary, destroy Iran’s “limited and exposed oil fleet.”

“

We will not hesitate to defend US forces and, if necessary, destroy Iran’s limited and exposed oil fleet.

The Saturday exchange continued a series of US-Iranian attacks that resumed the previous weekend after a month without strikes. The war began in late February, while the most intense fighting ended in April. Sporadic attacks have continued since then. The latest clashes came two days after Vice President J.D. Vance played down concerns about the conflict, telling reporters he would not call it a war because “there are no active shootings.”

“

I would not call it a war because there are no active shootings.