US strikes three Iranian oil tankers and releases video of intense explosions

The sea around Iran became the setting for a sharp US-Iran confrontation on September 5, after the US military said it struck three Iranian oil tankers and released video showing the vessels engulfed in flames and explosions.

US Central Command said the action followed what it described as multiple Iranian attacks on a US aircraft carrier and a guided-missile destroyer patrolling regional waters. Tehran had launched ballistic missiles at two US Navy warships, CENTCOM said, adding that no American service members were injured.

The command said it permanently disabled the M/T Downy off Kharg Island and the M/T Stark 1 near Jask. It also said US forces completely destroyed the M/T Kylo in the Gulf of Oman after the crew had been ordered to abandon the vessel. The tanker was not carrying cargo, and US forces struck it at several critical points, CENTCOM said, leaving it unable to operate.

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The message to the IRGC is clear: If you fire on two of our ships, we will force you to pay an even greater economic price by eliminating three of yours.

CENTCOM described the three tankers as part of a multibillion-dollar clandestine oil-transport network that finances Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Tehran’s regional proxy forces. “The message to the IRGC is clear: If you fire on two of our ships, we will force you to pay an even greater economic price by eliminating three of yours,” said Adm. Brad Cooper, the commander of CENTCOM. He added, “We will not hesitate to protect US forces. If necessary, we will destroy Iran’s limited and vulnerable tanker fleet.”

Iran had not responded to the report. Iranian media had previously said that the United States attacked a tanker near Kharg Island, a major Iranian oil hub. The island is believed to handle about 90% of Iran’s crude oil exports and has been attacked throughout the conflict. US President Donald Trump had earlier threatened to seize it.

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We will not hesitate to protect US forces. If necessary, we will destroy Iran’s limited and vulnerable tanker fleet.