US forces hit three Iranian tankers after carrier attacked

American forces hit three Iranian oil tankers around the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday, after Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps attacked two U.S. warships.

U.S. Central Command said that the IRGC fired ballistic missiles at an American aircraft carrier and destroyer, but both ships were able to evade “multiple” attacks. Soon after, U.S. forces targeted three Iranian crude oil ships operating in or around the Strait of Hormuz. They “permanently disabled” the M/T Downy, sailing near Kharg Island and the M/T Stark 1 operating near Jask. The M/T Kylo was destroyed in the Gulf of Oman, after its crew was ordered to abandon ship.

Video released by CENTCOM shows the ships being hit by multiple munitions, causing explosions across the vessels. Footage shows the Kylo being hit in several waves, including one large strike to the side of its hull near the waterline. It is not clear how many people were killed in the attacks on the three tankers.

“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,” CENTCOM commander Adm. Brad Cooper said in a statement on X. “We will not hesitate to defend American forces, and if necessary, destroy Iran’s limited and exposed oil fleet.”

The Strait of Hormuz is a vital waterway for a fifth of the world’s crude oil, and Iran’s Kharg Island is a major depot for oil. 

CENTCOM said in its statement that the three tanker ships are part of a “shadow network” helping fund the IRGC and its regional partners. 

No U.S. personnel were wounded in the attacks on the two warships, CENTCOM said. The military did not identify which U.S. ships were targeted. Both the USS George Washington and USS George H.W. Bush and their respective carrier strike groups are operating in the Arabian Sea, as are several independent Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers.

The attacks on the ships are a shift in strategy for the United States since fighting restarted Sunday. After imposing the blockade of the strait in April, and reimposing it in July after fighting restarted, the U.S. has focused on stopping ships from transiting through the Strait of Hormuz, redirecting dozens of ships and firing on several that attempted to run the blockade, but not directly targeting Iranian vessels. That changed this week, when the U.S. fired on two Iranian tankers during wider strikes on Iran on Sept. 1.

On Aug. 30, U.S. forces hit Larak Island in the strait, saying IRGC launchers were about to fire mines into the waterway; two days prior CENTCOM said it had cleared mines in shipping lanes. Soon after, Iran fired missiles and one-way attack drones at American bases in the Middle East.

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