US military says it destroyed 3 Iranian oil tankers after IRGC targeted its warships

The US military said Saturday it had struck and destroyed three oil tankers linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps after the Iranian military organization fired on American warships. “Following Iran’s failed attacks, CENTCOM permanently disabled the IRGC crude oil carriers M/T Downy off the coast of Kharg Island and M/T Stark 1 near Jask. American forces also completely destroyed the unladen crude oil carrier M/T Kylo… in the Gulf of Oman, striking the vessel in multiple critical locations to render it inoperable after the crew was directed to abandon ship,” US Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement on X. The semi-official Iranian news agency Tasnim had earlier reported that a tanker was hit by US forces near Kharg Island, a key oil export hub in the Persian Gulf. According to a Tasnim correspondent from Kharg, the tanker was hit by four US missiles in the area of Kharg Island’s anchorage. Tasnim quoted local sources as saying there were no casualties and the tanker’s crew was being evacuated. There was no immediate official announcement by Iranian authorities. Get The Times of Israel's Daily Edition by email and never miss our top stories Newsletter email address Get it By signing up, you agree to the terms US President Donald Trump ​said on August 31 in a one-line social media post, accompanied by an AI-generated video, that Kharg Island was being “blown to smithereens.” Iranian authorities have vowed a strong response if Kharg is attacked. “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. We will not hesitate to defend American forces, and if necessary, destroy Iran’s limited and exposed oil fleet.” — Adm. Brad Cooper,… pic.twitter.com/UGGcSGsUtd — U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) September 5, 2026 Advertisement Iran is the third-largest producer in the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting ‌Countries and exported 90 percent of its crude via Kharg Island before the war, but flows have been disrupted since a US blockade of Iranian oil exports began in mid-April. A US attack on Kharg would ​heap further pressure on Iran’s oil industry and its wider economy, which is already reeling from the naval blockade. US President Donald Trump speaks in the Oval Office of the White House, September 4, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin) Trump said on June 11 that he wanted to take over Kharg Island, but then said a threatened US ​military operation there was off the table for now, days before Tehran and Washington on June 17 signed an interim agreement aimed at ending the war. The agreement collapsed within days due to disputes over control of the Strait of Hormuz. Iran blockaded the strait — choking off about a fifth of the world’s commercial oil shipments — early in the war that the US and Israel launched on Iran on February 28 in a bid to destroy the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program and missile capabilities. The US has continued attacking Iranian targets near the strait, while Iran has attacked US bases in Arab states. Advertisement A bombardment in the southern Iranian town of Kuestak on Tuesday evening killed five people at a wedding, including a 4-year-old boy, a 16-year-old, two women who died on the spot and another woman who succumbed to her wounds at a hospital on Thursday. The point of impact is seen on the roof of a building that Iranian media said was hit by a US strike while a wedding celebration was taking place there late Tuesday, September 1, in Kuhestak, southern Iran, September 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi) On Friday, an Associated Press team made a rare visit to the town, which overlooks the Strait of Hormuz. A US weapons expert who reviewed images from the scene said the evidence suggests the strikes were carried out with American guided bombs. US Vice President JD Vance said Thursday that he was briefed on the wedding attack. “We’re investigating it very fully,” he said, adding that the US never targets civilians in combat but “sometimes things happen.” Kuhestak is about 30 kilometers (18 miles) from the town of Minab, where more than 100 children were killed in an American missile strike that hit a primary school on the first day of the war. US Joint Staff members said polygraphed over leaks While the US and Iran have continued exchanging fire, multiple outlets have reported that American forces face a munitions shortage. Last month, CNN reported that the US military had used up to nearly 80% of its interceptors for the THAAD anti-ballistic missile defense system and approximately 50% of its Patriot interceptors, leaving the supply of those munitions “dangerously low.” US government investigators have polygraphed about 50 members of the US military’s Joint Staff over suspected leaks to journalists, including on the munitions shortage, The New York Times reported Friday, citing officials briefed on the extraordinary move. According to the report, military officers and civilian employees were questioned in August as to whether they had leaked classified information. Advertisement The US Army unloads a THAAD missile defense system in Israel in March 2019. (US Army Europe) Between 1,500 and 2,000 people work for the Joint Staff, “which coordinates operations, policy and war plans with combatant commanders around the world,” the Times said. Rear Adm. Donald J. Guter, a retired top judge advocate general for the Navy, called the move “unprecedented.” “I’ve never seen polygraphs employed this broadly or at this seniority level,” he told the Times. The Pentagon said in a statement to The Times that it “does not comment on internal personnel or investigative matters but takes all leaks of classified national security information extremely seriously and investigates accordingly.” Help us report truthfully on social media As a multimedia journalist, my job is to take the quality, fact-based journalism produced by The Times of Israel newsroom and make it accessible across every platform — from Instagram posts to podcasts to short-form videos. This is how many, especially young people, consume news these days. But misinformation is rampant on social media. Our team at ToI produces accurate, responsible short-form reporting on Israel and the Jewish world. 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