US strikes Iran-linked oil tanker as CENTCOM releases footage of vessel sinking in Gulf of Oman

The M/T Kylo burned before sinking into the Gulf of Oman, in dramatic footage released by US Central Command as Washington warned Tehran that attacks on American naval vessels would carry a heavy economic price.

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Thanks to the precision and professionalism of American service members, the M/T Kylo sank in the Gulf of Oman today and joined Iran’s navy at the bottom of the sea.

The Kylo was one of three Iranian crude oil carriers struck by US forces on Saturday. CENTCOM said the operation followed an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps ballistic missile launch against two US Navy vessels operating in regional waters. An aircraft carrier and a guided-missile destroyer avoided several incoming attacks, and the US military reported no American injuries.

In a post on X, CENTCOM identified the vessel as the M/T Kylo and said, "Thanks to the precision and professionalism of American service members, the M/T Kylo sank in the Gulf of Oman today and joined Iran’s navy at the bottom of the sea." US officials said the crew had been ordered to abandon ship before the vessel became completely inoperable.

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It’s simple: if Iran shoots at US ships, we will destroy (and sink) their oil tankers. All they have to do is not shoot at @USNavy

The military said the M/T Downy had been permanently disabled near Kharg Island and the M/T Stark 1 had been struck near Jask. It also said the Kylo, alternatively called the Noxen, was destroyed after strikes hit several vital sections. CENTCOM described the three vessels as part of a multibillion-dollar shadow network that funded the Revolutionary Guards and associated regional proxy groups.

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If you shoot at two of our ships, we will impose an even higher economic cost, taking out three of yours.

US War Secretary Pete Hegseth warned that Washington would strike Iranian oil carriers if Iran targeted US Navy vessels. "It’s simple: if Iran shoots at US ships, we will destroy (and sink) their oil tankers. All they have to do is not shoot at @USNavy," he wrote. CENTCOM commander Brad Cooper said, "If you shoot at two of our ships, we will impose an even higher economic cost, taking out three of yours." Iran’s Foreign Ministry condemned the attacks as violations of the UN Charter and called them a war crime.

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These illegal and irresponsible actions, which constitute a continuation of the U.S. military aggression against Iran and are part of the naval blockade and economic warfare