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🇮🇪 Ireland /Conflict & Security

US strikes three Iranian oil tankers after Tehran attacks naval ships

From Irish Times · () English

Summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

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Newswire From a news agency Ongoing story
  • U.S. forces struck three Iranian oil tankers after Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps fired ballistic missiles at two U.S. Navy ships, U.S. Central Command said.
  • Iranian media reported that four U.S. missiles hit a tanker near Kharg Island, with no casualties reported and the crew being evacuated.
  • The escalation threatens Iran’s oil exports and has pushed Brent crude futures to their highest level since July 24 at $96.28 a barrel.

The United States struck three Iranian oil tankers on Saturday after Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps launched ballistic missiles at two U.S. Navy ships, U.S. Central Command said. One of the tankers was hit off Kharg Island, near Iran’s main oil export hub.

Brad Cooper, the head of U.S. Central Command, delivered a direct warning to the IRGC: “If you shoot at two of our ships, we will impose an even higher economic cost, taking out three of yours.” Central Command said no American personnel were harmed.

Iranian semi-official news agency Tasnim earlier reported that four U.S. missiles struck a tanker near Kharg’s anchorage. It quoted local sources as saying there were no casualties and that the tanker’s crew was being evacuated. Iranian authorities had not issued an immediate official announcement.

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

· Brad CooperThe U.S. Central Command chief described the strikes as a response to Iran’s missile attacks on two U.S. Navy ships.

The exchange follows a week of escalation in a conflict that began after U.S. strikes on Iran in February. The fighting has disrupted global energy supplies and faced opposition from a majority of Americans ahead of congressional elections in November. President Donald Trump said in an August 31 social media post that Kharg Island was being “blown to smithereens,” using an AI-generated video. Iranian authorities have vowed a strong response if the island is attacked.

Iran, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries’ third-largest producer, exported 90% of its crude through Kharg before the war. Those flows have been disrupted since a U.S. blockade of Iranian oil exports began in mid-April. The United States imposed the blockade after Iran effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, a waterway that carried one-fifth of the world’s oil supply before the war. Brent crude futures closed Friday at $96.28 a barrel, their highest level since July 24, as Middle East tensions heightened concerns about global supplies.

blown to smithereens

· Donald TrumpTrump used the phrase in an August 31 social media post about Kharg Island.
About this summary

Originally published by Irish Times. Summarized and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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