USA08 September, 20262 min read
U.S. Destroys Five Iranian Oil Tankers Near Kharg Island After Attempted Attacks on Warship
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Five Iranian oil tankers destroyed by US strikes near Kharg Island and Gulf of Oman. The strikes were in response to attempted ballistic-missile strikes on a US warship.
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Tankers hit near Kharg
The U.S. military said it destroyed five Iranian oil tankers on Tuesday in response to attempted attacks on a U.S. Navy warship, with four tankers in the Gulf of Oman and one near Kharg Island.
ABC News reported that CENTCOM said, "American forces directed the crews to abandon ship before the vessels were struck and rendered inoperable," and it said the targeted warship evaded Iranian missile attacks with no American forces harmed.
The New York Times described the same U.S. action as reprisal, saying the U.S. military "destroyed five Iranian oil tankers" after Iran attempted to strike the warship.
The Times of India added that the U.S. military said it destroyed the Iranian crude oil carriers M/T Kaviz, M/T Charminar, M/T Horizon 1 and M/T Riesco in the Gulf of Oman, along with M/T Derya near Kharg Island.
Retaliation threats and warnings
Iranian officials and state media framed the tanker strikes as a trigger for retaliation, with the Jerusalem Post reporting that Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters warned the U.S. that it would reply with strikes against American interests in the Middle East if Iranian vessels were struck.
The Jerusalem Post also quoted U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio telling reporters, "Iran continues to try to hit Us naval ships. And for every time they do that or try to do that, they're going to lose tankers," during a visit to Colombia.
In parallel, Ynetnews said Iran’s military warned that any attack on its oil tankers would trigger retaliation against U.S. forces in the Middle East, and it quoted Maj. Gen. Ali Abdollahi saying, "I announce that any attack on Iran’s oil tankers will lead to attacks on American bases in the region".
The New York Times reported that the Revolutionary Guards vowed to retaliate by warning tankers near Kuwait and Bahrain—both described as hosting American forces—to evacuate their crews.
Strait of Hormuz stakes
The fighting was tied in multiple reports to the strategic Strait of Hormuz, with ABC News describing it as the primary flashpoint as the U.S. and Iran continued to exchange strikes. NDTV quoted an Iran expert at Israel's Institute for National Security Studies, Danny Citrinowicz, warning that "There is no kinetic solution to the Strait of Hormuz problem," and that escalation could become "increasingly difficult to control."
The New York Times said the renewed clashes punctured weeks of relative calm as both sides jostled for control over the economically vital Strait of Hormuz. In the same reporting stream, the Times of India said the U.S. attack came after the IRGC targeted a U.S. navy warship with ballistic missiles twice over the past two days, and it noted that the U.S. navy warship evaded both attacks and continued its patrol in regional waters.