The US military struck three Iranian oil tankers on Saturday in retaliation for attacks on American warships, escalating a six-month conflict that has disrupted global energy supplies. US Central Command said it permanently disabled two tankers, including one near Kharg Island, and completely destroyed a third in the Gulf of Oman. The attacks came after Centcom said it evaded multiple attacks from Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps earlier in the day targeting a US aircraft carrier and guided-missile destroyer. No American troops were harmed.
Iran's state media confirmed the strikes and said Tehran launched retaliatory attacks on six vessels in the region, including three oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz traveling what Iran called an unauthorized route. Iranian state outlet Irib reported no casualties in the attack near Kharg Island, which hosts Iran's main oil export terminal and handles roughly 90 percent of the country's crude oil. Crews from the two tankers struck in the Gulf of Oman reached shore in lifeboats, according to Irib.
Centcom claimed the three Iranian tankers were part of a multi-billion-dollar shadow network funding the IRGC and its regional proxies. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth wrote on social media hours before Iran's retaliation that if Iran shoots at US ships, the military will destroy their oil tankers. The strikes marked the latest escalation in fighting that resumed last week after a period of relative calm.
The conflict has effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz since fighting began in February, squeezing a waterway that previously carried about 20 percent of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas supplies. The disruption has raised energy prices globally, with the average US diesel price reaching $5.85 per gallon on Friday compared to $3.71 a year earlier. A 60-day ceasefire between the US and Iran expired last month with little sign of a diplomatic settlement ahead of US midterm elections in November.