US Strikes Three Iranian Oil Tankers After Navy Warships Targeted With Missiles
The US military has struck three Iranian oil tankers in the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman after Navy warships were targeted with ballistic missiles, marking a significant escalation in the six-month-old war between Washington and Tehran.
US Central Command (CENTCOM) said Saturday that an American aircraft carrier and a guided-missile destroyer successfully evaded “multiple unprovoked Iranian attacks” by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) while patrolling regional waters, with no US personnel injured. The strikes came after the IRGC fired ballistic missiles toward the two warships, according to AP News.
Three Tankers Struck
CENTCOM said it “permanently disabled” two Iranian oil carriers and “completely destroyed” a third unladen vessel. The M/T Downy, a very large crude carrier (VLCC) belonging to the National Iranian Tanker Company, was struck near Kharg Island, home to a terminal through which Iran exports most of its oil. The M/T Stark 1 was hit near Jask, east of the Strait of Hormuz. The third vessel, the unladen M/T Kylo (also known as Noxen), was destroyed in the Gulf of Oman after its crew was directed to abandon ship before it was struck at multiple critical locations.
According to BBC News, CENTCOM said the tankers were “part of a multibillion-dollar shadow network that funds the IRGC and its regional proxies.” The statement added that “Iran has no means to defend these ships.”
Adm. Brad Cooper, commander of US Central Command, issued a stark warning: “We will not hesitate to defend American forces, and if necessary, destroy Iran’s limited and exposed oil fleet.” He also said, “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.”
Iranian Reports and Confirmation
Iranian state media earlier reported that four US missiles struck a tanker about 6 miles (10 kilometers) from Kharg Island. Iran’s state broadcaster IRIB later confirmed the attacks on all three vessels, reporting that crews had been evacuated safely via lifeboat. The attack near Kharg Island caused no fatalities, according to Iranian sources. Tasnim, an IRGC-affiliated news agency, reported that the tanker near Kharg Island was hit by four projectiles with no casualties and crew members being evacuated, as Euronews Persian reported.
Satellite imagery from TankerTrackers.com appeared to confirm the strike on the Downy, showing tugboat activity and AIS movements beginning around 04:45 UTC, suggesting the engine room was struck, most likely by a US Hellfire missile.
There was no immediate official Iranian government response to the strikes as of Saturday afternoon.
Escalation in a Six-Month War
The strikes come nearly a week after the US and Iran resumed attacks following about a month of relative calm in the on-again, off-again conflict that began with US and Israeli attacks on Iran on February 28. The war, which killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in its opening strikes, has devastated Iran’s military infrastructure while disrupting global oil markets through the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz—a waterway through which approximately 20% of the world’s oil normally flows.
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth issued a blunt threat following the strikes: “It’s simple: if Iran shoots at US ships, we will destroy (and sink) their oil tankers. All they have to do is not shoot,” he said, as reported by Al Jazeera. “Iran’s oil tanker fleet is defenseless—Iran has no navy or air force. Our planes, ships and subs can strike them all.”
The renewed military action follows a period in which the Trump administration had signaled a shift toward economic pressure rather than military strikes. But the past week has seen a dramatic tilt back toward fighting, with the US resuming attacks on Iranian targets on August 30 and escalating through the week.
Earlier in the week, at least five people were killed during a US bombardment of southern Iran, including an incident in which a missile strike hit a wedding celebration in the coastal town of Kuhestak. The Iranian Red Crescent Society said shrapnel from a missile hit the family ceremony, killing four people including two children. Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei called the incident a “war crime,” as BBC News reported.
Economic Warfare Through the Shadow Fleet
The US targeting of Iranian oil tankers represents a deliberate strategy of economic warfare. Iran has relied on a “shadow fleet” of tankers to circumvent sanctions and the US naval blockade, getting oil to buyers—particularly China—despite the conflict. The US has imposed a naval blockade of Iranian ports since the war began, with a second blockade imposed on July 15.
According to The Guardian, the US military has been redirecting commercial vessels and disabling ships under its blockade. As of late August, it had redirected 83 commercial vessels and disabled three.
Iran’s oil exports fell by more than 90% in May due to the blockade, though Iranian Petroleum Minister Mohsen Paknejad has claimed exports never fully stopped, saying deliveries were carried out “thousands of kilometers away from the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman.”
The strikes also come amid broader diplomatic pressure. The US, Britain, France and Germany seek to refer Iran to the UN Security Council for failure to comply with nuclear nonproliferation obligations. Meanwhile, a memorandum of understanding signed in mid-June that called for an end to hostilities and reopening of the Strait of Hormuz collapsed within weeks, with a 60-day ceasefire formally expiring in August.
Political Dimensions and What’s Next
The escalation carries significant political implications for President Trump ahead of November midterm elections. The conflict has raised energy prices globally, with US gas prices reaching record levels. Trump sought to minimize the conflict’s scope on Thursday, calling the Iran war “small potatoes” in Oval Office comments, while Iranian officials have reported the deaths of 18 US service members in the conflict.
Iran’s elected government, led by President Masoud Pezeshkian, has favored a negotiated end to the war, but hardline elements within the IRGC and the broader security establishment have signaled willingness to continue fighting. Iran’s new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, who was wounded in the initial strikes and has remained largely unseen, has not publicly addressed the latest escalation.
The question now is whether Iran will mount a significant retaliatory response. While Iran has fired ballistic missiles at US warships, these attacks appear to have been unsuccessful, and Iran’s naval and air forces have been devastated by six months of war. As NPR reported, the US military has been helping to guide ships through the Strait of Hormuz, but overall traffic remains at a fraction of pre-war levels—roughly 24 vessels per week compared to about 130 per day before the conflict began.
The strikes on Iran’s oil fleet represent a calculated effort to cripple the revenue streams that fund the IRGC and its regional proxies. Whether this economic pressure forces Tehran back to the negotiating table or provokes further escalation remains the central question in a conflict that shows no signs of resolution.