US Destroys Five Iranian Oil Tankers After IRGC Targets American Warship

TAMPA, Fla., Sep 9: U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said American forces destroyed five Iranian crude oil tankers on Sept. 8 after the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) twice targeted a U.S. Navy warship with ballistic missiles over the previous two days.

According to CENTCOM, the U.S. warship successfully evaded both attacks and continued its patrols in regional waters. No American personnel were injured in the incidents.

CENTCOM said the destroyed vessels included the M/T Kaviz, M/T Charminar, M/T Horizon 1 and M/T Riesco in the Gulf of Oman, while the M/T Derya was struck near Iran’s Kharg Island. U.S. forces reportedly instructed the crews to abandon the vessels before striking them, leaving the tankers inoperable.

The U.S. military accused Iran of using the tankers as part of a multibillion-dollar shadow network allegedly used to finance the IRGC and its regional proxies. CENTCOM said the vessels had no means of defending themselves against the U.S. strikes.

The latest action follows another U.S. operation on Sept. 5, when CENTCOM said its forces destroyed three Iranian crude oil carriers after the IRGC attempted to attack a U.S. aircraft carrier and a guided-missile destroyer.

CENTCOM said all Iranian attempts to attack U.S. Navy warships in the reported incidents had failed.