U.S. Central Command strikes three Iranian crude tankers, one destroyed
U.S. Central Command confirmed Saturday that American forces struck three Iranian crude oil tankers, disabling two near Iran’s key export hub of Kharg Island and destroying a third in the Gulf of Oman, in what it described as retaliation for an Iranian attack on U.S. Navy warships. CENTCOM: Strikes Followed Failed IRGC Attack According to a CENTCOM statement, a U.S. aircraft carrier and a guided-missile destroyer evaded multiple unprovoked Iranian attacks before American forces retaliated. CENTCOM said it permanently disabled the IRGC-linked tankers M/T Downy off Kharg Island and M/T Stark 1 near Jask, and destroyed the unladen carrier M/T Kylo, also known as the “Noxen,” in the Gulf of Oman after ordering its crew to abandon ship. CNN reported that audio it verified showed a U.S. military aircraft issuing repeated warnings to the vessel before the strike, telling th...
S. S. Navy warships. S.
aircraft carrier and a guided-missile destroyer evaded multiple unprovoked Iranian attacks before American forces retaliated. CENTCOM said it permanently disabled the IRGC-linked tankers M/T Downy off Kharg Island and M/T Stark 1 near Jask, and destroyed the unladen carrier M/T Kylo, also known as the “Noxen,” in the Gulf of Oman after ordering its crew to abandon ship. S. military aircraft issuing repeated warnings to the vessel before the strike, telling the crew to get into lifeboats and abandon ship immediately.
S. S. missiles, with no casualties and the crew evacuating, according to the Times of Israel. Iranian authorities had not issued an official statement at the time, and CENTCOM did not immediately respond to requests for comment, the AP reported.
The strike lands just days after President Donald Trump posted an AI-generated video on August 31 claiming Kharg Island was being “blown to smithereens,” a claim Tehran had dismissed. Iranian officials have separately vowed a strong response to any attack on the island. Why Kharg Island Matters To Oil Markets Kharg Island handles roughly 90% of Iran’s crude exports and has a loading capacity of about 7 million barrels per day, with most cargoes historically bound for China and India. S.
naval blockade in place since mid-April, and Kpler and Windward data cited by outlets this week showed loading operations at Kharg had largely halted, with vessel traffic near the island at its lowest in over a month. Image: Shutterstock/Yanleth Rivera