US Central Command (CENTCOM) said American forces destroyed five Iranian crude oil carriers in separate operations on September 8, following what it described as repeated ballistic missile attacks by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) against a US Navy warship.
The US military said the targeted warship successfully evaded two attempted attacks over a two-day period and continued operating in regional waters. No US personnel were reported injured.
Five Tankers Targeted in the Gulf of Oman
CENTCOM identified four of the vessels destroyed in the operation as the M/T Kaviz, M/T Charminar, M/T Horizon 1 and M/T Riesco, which were struck in the Gulf of Oman.
A fifth vessel, the M/T Derya, was targeted near Iran’s Kharg Island.
According to CENTCOM, American forces instructed the crews to abandon the vessels before carrying out the strikes. The ships were subsequently rendered inoperable, the US command said.
Washington Links Tankers to IRGC Funding Network
CENTCOM accused Iran of using the vessels as part of what it described as a multibillion-dollar shadow network supporting the IRGC and its regional proxy groups.
The US military said Iran lacks the capability to adequately defend the tankers, portraying the attacks on the vessels as part of a broader campaign to disrupt Tehran’s alleged financial networks.
The statement did not provide details on whether the tanker crews suffered casualties.
US Says Earlier Attacks Also Failed
The latest operation follows another series of strikes announced by CENTCOM on September 5, when US forces said they destroyed three additional Iranian crude oil carriers.
According to the American command, those strikes came after the IRGC attempted to attack a US aircraft carrier and a guided-missile destroyer.
CENTCOM said all Iranian attempts to strike US Navy warships had failed, while the American vessels remained operational.
Iran Offers a Conflicting Account
The US claims come alongside a sharply different account from Tehran. Iran’s IRGC said its aerospace forces had successfully carried out ballistic missile strikes against two US destroyers identified as DDG-119 and DDG-53.
Iranian state media quoted the IRGC as saying the two warships were equipped with Aegis defense systems and cruise missiles and claimed the missile strikes caused significant damage.
The Iranian assertion has not been independently verified in the information available, and it directly conflicts with Washington’s account of recent Iranian attacks on US naval vessels.
Risk of Wider US-Iran Military Escalation
The competing claims point to a rapidly escalating confrontation involving US naval forces, Iranian ballistic missiles and attacks on vessels linked to Tehran’s oil trade.
While Washington says its warships have successfully evaded Iranian attacks and responded by destroying Iranian tankers, Tehran claims its missiles have inflicted significant damage on American destroyers.
The conflicting accounts could not immediately be reconciled, but the reported exchanges mark a significant escalation in direct military pressure between the United States and Iran.
