▲ A still image from a video released by the US military showing the strike on Iranian oil tankers
The US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced on the 5th, local time, that it had struck three Iranian oil tankers in response to ballistic missiles fired by Iran at two US warships.
CENTCOM said in a statement that "after the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) fired ballistic missiles at two US Navy warships on patrol in the waters, US forces struck three Iranian crude oil carriers."
CENTCOM stated that it neutralized the tanker Dauny near Iran's Kharg Island and the tanker Stark 1 near the Jask region.
It also added that it completely destroyed the tanker Kairo, which was carrying no crude oil, in the Gulf of Oman.
CENTCOM explained that after instructing the crews to abandon the tankers, it struck them multiple times to render them inoperable, adding that these tankers have been funding the IRGC and Iranian proxy forces.
"This sends a clear message to the IRGC: if you attack two of our vessels, we will strike three and impose a greater economic cost," said CENTCOM Commander Brad Cooper, emphasizing that the US will destroy Iran's oil transport fleet if necessary.
This marks a clear declaration under the name of the CENTCOM commander that any attacks against US forces will be met with retaliation on a larger scale.
This raises concerns that the level of military standoff between the United States and Iran in the Strait of Hormuz could escalate further.
CENTCOM explained that a US aircraft carrier and a guided-missile destroyer successfully evaded the Iranian attacks, and there were no injuries among US personnel.
Earlier, Iranian media reported that explosions were heard near Kharg Island, Iran's largest oil export terminal, claiming that the US military had attacked Iranian oil tankers.
The US administration under Donald Trump had shifted its strategy toward Iran by tightening economic sanctions, but has been engaged in armed skirmishes with Iran since striking an Iranian rocket launcher intended for laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz on August 30.
(Photo: Capture from X video posted by US Central Command, Yonhap News)
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