U.S. military says it destroyed five Iranian crude tankers
CENTCOM says four tankers were hit in the Gulf of Oman and a fifth near Harg Island after IRGC missiles targeted a U.S. warship.
The U.S. military says it has struck five Iranian crude-oil tankers after missiles were launched by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) at a U.S. warship over the past two days.
According to the regional command CENTCOM, American forces destroyed four tankers in the Gulf of Oman and a fifth near Harg Island. CENTCOM added that crews were ordered to abandon the vessels before they were struck and rendered inoperable.
“The U.S. warship successfully evaded the Iranian attacks and continued to patrol in regional waters. No U.S. service member was injured,” the regional command CENTCOM said.
CENTCOM described the targeted tankers as part of "a shadow network worth billions of dollars that funds the IRGC and its regional proxies." In a subsequent update, the command reported that one of the struck tankers sank.
A video released publicly showed a vessel being hit, erupting in flames and sinking bow-first, according to the account from CENTCOM.
The strikes mark a significant escalation in maritime confrontations between U.S. forces and Iran-linked elements, following the missile launches directed at the American warship during the two-day episode.
Photo: press material from the event
