US Military Destroys Five Iranian Oil Tankers in Response to Attacks on US Warships

The US military announced on September 8 (local time) that it has destroyed five Iranian oil tankers in response to attacks by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on US naval vessels.

In a press release, the US Central Command (CENTCOM), which oversees military operations against Iran, made it clear that the sinking of the Iranian tankers by US forces was retaliation "for two separate ballistic missile attacks launched by the IRGC against US Navy warships over the past two days."

CENTCOM stated, "US Navy warships successfully evaded the Iranian attack attempts and continued conducting routine patrols in the area," adding that there were no injuries among US personnel.

CENTCOM also disclosed the names of the five vessels, stating that four were sunk in the Gulf of Oman and one near Iran's Kharg Island oil terminal.

"The US military notified the crews of the tankers to abandon ship before the vessels were targeted and disabled," CENTCOM explained.

"Iran has utilized these tankers as part of a multi-billion-dollar shadow network that funds the IRGC and regional proxies," CENTCOM added, noting that "Iran has no means to defend these vessels."

This marks the second time in three days that the US military has sunk Iranian oil tankers in retaliation for attacks on US warships, following a similar action on September 5.

CENTCOM previously announced that on September 5, it attacked and disabled three tankers, including two near Kharg Island and one in the Gulf of Oman.

(Photo: Captured from video on the US Central Command website, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.