Five Iranian oil tankers hit by US strikes
The US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced that it struck and disabled five oil tankers reportedly linked to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps. The US side stated that this action was taken after Iranian forces attempted to attack an American warship with ballistic missiles twice within the last two days.
**Five Iranian oil tankers hit by US strikes**
US Central Command announced on September 8 that five Iranian oil tankers had been struck.
CENTCOM reported this on its official page on the X social network.
According to the US Command, the operation was carried out after the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of Iran attempted to attack a US Navy vessel twice with ballistic missiles over the past two days.
CENTCOM stated that the American warship successfully evaded the attacks from the Iranian side and continued patrolling regional waters. There were no casualties among US service members as a result of the incidents.
**Five tankers struck**
According to US Central Command, the tankers M/T Kaviz, M/T Charminar, M/T Horizon 1, and M/T Riesco were struck in the Gulf of Oman.
Another tanker, M/T Derya, was targeted near Kharg Island in the Persian Gulf.
CENTCOM noted that before launching the strikes, the US military instructed the crews of the vessels to abandon the tankers. Following this, the ships were struck and disabled.
The US military claims that these tankers were part of a multi-billion dollar "shadow" oil network used by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps.
According to Washington's version, the funds obtained through this network are directed toward financing the Revolutionary Guard Corps and its proxy forces in the region.
The CENTCOM statement also noted that Tehran is unable to protect these vessels from American military actions.
**Three tankers also struck on September 5**
This is not the first operation carried out by the US against Iranian oil tankers in recent days.
According to CENTCOM, three Iranian oil tankers were also destroyed on September 5. The US side stated that these strikes were carried out after the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps attempted to attack an American aircraft carrier and a guided-missile destroyer.
Thus, based on US military data, a total of eight oil tankers linked to Iran were struck between September 5 and September 8.