U.S. Central Command says American forces destroyed five Iranian crude oil tankers on Sept. 8, hours after the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps twice fired ballistic missiles at a U.S. Navy warship over a two-day span.
The warship evaded both attempted strikes and continued patrolling regional waters. CENTCOM says no American personnel were harmed.
In response, CENTCOM destroyed the tankers 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. American forces reportedly directed the crews to abandon ship before the vessels were struck and disabled.
The Kaviz, Horizon 1 and Derya were each hit with a Hellfire missile aimed at the steering area or engine room. The Charminar and Riesco were struck by bombs; footage released by CENTCOM shows the Riesco engulfed in flames afterward.
CENTCOM identifies the Kaviz as an Aframax tanker, the Charminar as an oil/chemical tanker, the Horizon 1 as an LPG tanker, and the Riesco as another Aframax tanker. All five vessels had been sanctioned for transporting Iranian oil, and the Derya is described as part of Iran’s national fleet.
This latest strike follows an earlier round of U.S. attacks around Kharg Island and the port of Jask that had already destroyed three Iranian tankers. The new details about the ballistic missile attacks on the U.S. warship had not previously been disclosed.
A Warning Made Good
The response tracks closely with a warning issued by CENTCOM commander Admiral Brad Cooper after the previous round of strikes on Iranian tankers.
“Let the message to the IRGC be clear,” Cooper said. “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.”
With five tankers now destroyed following two missile attacks, CENTCOM’s actions appear to match the ratio Cooper described, underscoring Washington’s stated willingness to impose escalating costs on Tehran’s oil fleet in response to attacks on U.S. forces.
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