The US military struck and disabled three Iranian crude oil tankers on Saturday after Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) fired ballistic missiles at two US Navy warships. US Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed an aircraft carrier and a guided-missile destroyer evaded the attacks with no American casualties.
US forces disabled the M/T Downy near Kharg Island and the M/T Stark 1 near Jask. A third empty vessel M/T Kylo was destroyed in the Gulf of Oman after its crew evacuated.
CENTCOM Commander Adm. Brad Cooper stated the vessels funded the IRGC warning the US will "impose an even higher economic cost" and destroy Iran’s oil fleet if American forces are targeted.
Iranian state media confirmed the attacks and reporting no casualties on the tankers and stating crews were safely evacuated ashore.
The military exchange threatens global energy supplies also pushing Brent crude futures to $96.28 a barrel. Iran’s oil industry is already reeling from a US naval blockade enacted after the Strait of Hormuz was effectively closed.
This retaliation follows a week of renewed violence in the ongoing conflict. Earlier this week, a US bombardment in southern Iran struck a wedding party, killing at least five people and severely injuring multiple civilians including two young teenage girls who were caught in explosions near a telecommunications tower.
