The U.S. military struck three Iranian oil tankers on Saturday, stating the action was in response to Iranian missile attacks on Navy warships patrolling the region. U.S. Central Command (Centcom) announced it had "permanently disabled" two tankers near Kharg Island and the Strait of Hormuz, and "completely destroyed" a third, unladen tanker in the Gulf of Oman.
Centcom reported that its aircraft carrier and a guided-missile destroyer "successfully evaded" multiple unprovoked attacks by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). No U.S. personnel were injured in the exchange. Admiral Brad Cooper, Centcom's commander, issued a warning: "Let the message to the IRGC be clear: If you shoot at two of our ships, we will impose an even higher economic cost - taking out three of yours." He added, "We will not hesitate to defend American forces, and if necessary, destroy Iran's limited and exposed oil fleet."
Iranian state media had earlier reported that a U.S. missile struck an Iranian oil tanker near Kharg Island in the Persian Gulf. The U.S. statement indicated one tanker was hit off Kharg Island, another near Jask, and the third in the Gulf of Oman, sharing video footage of the strikes. The U.S. military characterized the tankers as part of a network funding Iran's Revolutionary Guard and its regional proxies.
These strikes occurred approximately one week after a period of renewed attacks between the U.S. and Iran, which followed a month of relative calm. This on-again, off-again conflict, which began with U.S. and Israeli strikes on February 28, has seen both sides aiming to inflict military and economic damage amid collapsed negotiations. The U.S. and Israel had launched wide-ranging strikes on Iran, prompting retaliatory attacks from Iran against Israel, U.S. bases, and allied states in the Gulf, which at one point effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz to maritime traffic.