U.S. Strikes Three Iranian Oil Tankers After Missile Attacks on Navy Ships

KHARG ISLAND, IRAN — U.S. forces struck three Iranian crude carriers after Iran fired ballistic missiles toward two U.S. Navy warships, escalating a confrontation already disrupting Gulf oil shipping.

U.S. Central Command said its forces attacked three Iranian oil tankers on September 5 after the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps launched ballistic missiles toward a U.S. aircraft carrier and a guided-missile destroyer patrolling regional waters. CENTCOM said both warships evaded the attacks and no American personnel were injured.

The U.S. military identified the targeted vessels as the M/T Downy, struck off Kharg Island; the M/T Stark 1, struck near Jask; and the M/T Kylo, also known as the Noxen, in the Gulf of Oman. CENTCOM said the Downy and Stark 1 were permanently disabled and that the unladen Kylo was destroyed after its crew was directed to abandon ship.

The attacks directly extended the U.S.-Iran confrontation into oil transportation infrastructure, increasing the potential consequences for commercial shipping around the Strait of Hormuz and Iran's principal crude-export routes.

CENTCOM described the tankers as part of a network that finances the IRGC and its regional allies, an assertion by the U.S. military that CRN Times could not independently establish. Adm. Brad Cooper, the CENTCOM commander, characterized the strikes as an economic response to the attacks on the American vessels and warned that U.S. forces could take further action against Iran's oil fleet.

Iran, meanwhile, threatened to intensify attacks on U.S. military vessels if Washington continued what Tehran described as harassment of Iranian shipping and a naval blockade. Reuters reported that Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency said four U.S. missiles struck a tanker near the Kharg anchorage, with local sources reporting no casualties and an evacuation of the crew.

Later Saturday, the IRGC Navy said it had targeted three oil tankers using what it called an "unauthorized route" through the Strait of Hormuz as well as three U.S.-linked vessels elsewhere. Those Iranian claims were not independently confirmed in the reporting reviewed by CRN Times.

Strikes put Iran's oil-export network deeper into the conflict

Kharg Island gives the attack particular economic significance. Before the current conflict, Iran exported about 90% of its crude through the island, according to Reuters. Iranian oil exports have since been disrupted by a U.S. blockade, while commercial movements through the Strait of Hormuz have been sharply curtailed.

The Strait is one of the world's most consequential energy chokepoints. Before the conflict, roughly one-fifth of global oil supply moved through it, meaning further military action involving tankers or shipping lanes could compound risks for crude supplies, freight movements and maritime operations.

Those risks were already reflected in energy markets before Saturday's tanker strikes. Brent crude ended Friday at $96.28 a barrel, up 7.6% for the week, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate settled at $91.48, according to Reuters. Supply concerns linked to renewed U.S.-Iran hostilities and continuing disruption around Hormuz contributed to the gains.

The September 5 attacks followed renewed exchanges between the United States and Iran after a period of reduced fighting. CENTCOM's own public record shows strikes against IRGC targets in Iran on September 1, while the broader confrontation has continued since U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran began in February.

Saturday's events leave several material questions unresolved, including the full condition of the three Iranian vessels, whether anyone aboard the Downy or Stark 1 was injured, and the outcome of Iran's subsequently claimed attacks on commercial and U.S.-linked shipping. Tehran has threatened broader military action if attacks on Iranian vessels continue, while CENTCOM has publicly warned that it is prepared to strike additional Iranian oil assets.