On Saturday, US forces targeted three Iranian crude oil tankers in response to a missile strike by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on two US Navy warships operating in the region. The US Central Command confirmed the incident, highlighting the escalating tensions in the area.
Another tanker that was not loaded was also disabled in the Gulf of Oman. The three tankers were a part of a multibillion-dollar shadow network that funds the IRGC and its proxies. After Iran’s attempted attacks, US forces destroyed two IRGC crude oil tankets called M/T Downy and M/T Stark 1 off the coast of Kharg Island and near Jask.
In a post on X, the US Central Command said that the aircraft carrier and guided-missile destroyer successfully avoided “multiple unprovoked Iranian attacks”. “Let the message to the IRGC be clear: If you shoot at two of our ships, we will impose an even higher economic cost -taking out three of yours,” said Cooper.
Admiral Brad Cooper, the CENTCOM commander, said that the US army will not hesitate to defend itself and if necessary, it can destroy Iran’s “exposed” oil fleet. “We will not hesitate to defend American forces, and if necessary, destroy Iran’s limited and exposed oil fleet”, he added.
