US Military Strikes Three Iranian Oil Tankers After Navy Warships Targeted

CENTCOM Response and Ship Strikes

According to U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), an American aircraft carrier and a guided-missile destroyer successfully evaded multiple unprovoked ballistic missile attacks launched by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). No U.S. personnel were injured during the engagement.

In response, CENTCOM commander Admiral Brad Cooper stated that U.S. forces permanently disabled two crude oil carriers—one located off the coast of Kharg Island and another near Jask—while a third unladen tanker was destroyed in the Gulf of Oman and its crew directed to abandon ship. Admiral Cooper issued a direct warning via CENTCOM, stating that if Iran shoots at U.S. ships, the military will impose a higher economic cost by taking out their tankers.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reinforced that message in a post on X, writing that Iran simply needs to stop firing at the U.S.

Iranian State Media and Official Reactions

Following the U.S. strikes, Iranian state television reported that Tehran had targeted three oil tankers and three American vessels in retaliation, though that claim could not be immediately verified. A spokesperson for Iran’s joint military command warned through state media that strikes against U.S. military ships would be more severe if Washington continues interfering with Iranian shipping.

Danny Citrinowicz, an Iran expert at Israel’s Institute for National Security Studies, noted on X that targeting a U.S. aircraft carrier with a ballistic missile indicates Tehran’s increasing willingness to accept risks it previously sought to avoid and directly threaten some of the most important American military assets in the region.

Meanwhile, Iran’s Foreign Ministry condemned the American operations as a war crime, asserting that Washington and its allies bear the consequences for continued U.S. aggression and economic warfare.

Economic Pressures and Broader Conflict

The latest naval confrontations unfold against a backdrop of collapsed negotiations and a six-month conflict. Prior to the war, Iran operated as the third-largest producer in the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), routing approximately 90% of its crude exports through the Kharg Island terminal.

Those oil flows have faced severe disruption due to a U.S. blockade of Iranian oil exports initiated in mid-April. Treasury Department announced new sanctions targeting a Turkish investment bank and its subsidiaries, which Washington accuses of enabling Iran’s rahbar network to transfer oil revenues from China to Turkey, where it could then be converted to cash and gold by rahbar money exchangers.