U.S. forces disabled two Iranian crude carriers and destroyed a third Saturday after the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps launched ballistic missiles at an American aircraft carrier and guided-missile destroyer, according to U.S. Central Command.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
The United States struck three Iranian oil tankers Saturday in direct retaliation for ballistic missile attacks against two U.S. Navy warships, destroying one vessel and permanently disabling two others as Washington imposed an economic cost on Iran for targeting American forces.
U.S. Central Command announced that an American aircraft carrier and guided-missile destroyer successfully evaded multiple missiles launched by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps while patrolling regional waters.
No American personnel were injured.
“A U.S. aircraft carrier and guided-missile destroyer successfully evaded multiple unprovoked Iranian attacks. No American personnel were harmed,” CENTCOM said in its account of the Iranian attacks and U.S. response.
American forces subsequently attacked three crude oil carriers that CENTCOM identified as belonging to a network supporting the IRGC, which the United States has designated as a foreign terrorist organization.
Two of the vessels — the MT Downy and MT Stark 1 — were “permanently” disabled, according to CENTCOM.
The Downy was struck off the coast of Kharg Island, Iran’s principal oil-export hub in the Persian Gulf, while the Stark 1 was targeted near Jask on Iran’s southeastern coast.
The third vessel, MT Kylo, also known as MT Noxen, was attacked in the Gulf of Oman.
Unlike the first two tankers, CENTCOM said the Kylo was “completely destroyed.”
The crude carrier was unladen when U.S. forces attacked it, and its crew was instructed to leave the vessel before American weapons struck multiple critical areas designed to make the ship permanently unusable.
Footage released by CENTCOM showed the military strikes against the Iranian vessels.
“The three Iranian crude oil tankers are part of a multibillion-dollar shadow network that funds the IRGC and its regional proxies. Iran has no means by which to defend them,” CENTCOM said.
The retaliatory action followed what the U.S. military described as multiple unsuccessful Iranian attacks against the two Navy vessels.
CENTCOM said the IRGC fired ballistic missiles toward the American warships while they were operating in regional waters. The aircraft carrier and guided-missile destroyer maneuvered successfully and avoided being struck.
Adm. Brad Cooper, commander of U.S. Central Command, characterized the tanker strikes as a deliberate escalation in the economic consequences Iran would face for targeting American ships.
“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,” Cooper said.
He warned that the United States is prepared to continue attacking Iranian assets if Tehran threatens American forces.
“We will not hesitate to defend American forces, and if necessary, destroy Iran’s limited and exposed oil fleet,” Cooper said.
The strike near Kharg Island was preceded by reports from Iranian state media that explosions had been heard around the strategically important oil facility.
Iran’s state-run Tasnim news agency reported that a tanker near the island had been struck by four American missiles, according to reporting from the area.
The vessel described in the Iranian report was believed to be the Downy, which CENTCOM later confirmed had been attacked off Kharg Island.
Tasnim reported no casualties from the strike.
Kharg Island is particularly significant because it serves as Iran’s primary crude-oil loading and export facility. By targeting a tanker immediately offshore rather than limiting its response to military installations, U.S. forces directly struck an asset CENTCOM says contributes financially to the IRGC and its regional operations.
The three attacks were geographically dispersed.
The Downy was hit near Kharg Island in the Persian Gulf, the Stark 1 was disabled near Jask, and the Kylo was destroyed farther east in the Gulf of Oman.
CENTCOM characterized all three vessels as components of the same multibillion-dollar petroleum network.
The Kylo strike differed from the attacks on the Downy and Stark 1 because American forces sought to destroy the ship completely rather than simply disable it.
After its crew was ordered off, U.S. forces hit the unladen tanker in several critical locations until the vessel was rendered inoperable.
The operation marked a direct U.S. military response to an Iranian attempt to strike major American naval assets.
An aircraft carrier represents one of the U.S. military’s most valuable and heavily defended platforms, while guided-missile destroyers provide air, missile and surface-warfare capabilities to naval formations.
CENTCOM said neither vessel sustained a successful Iranian hit during the missile attacks.
The subsequent tanker strikes demonstrate that Washington’s response to attacks on American forces is not necessarily limited to destroying the weapons or launch sites involved.
Instead, CENTCOM deliberately targeted assets it says generate revenue for the organization responsible for firing the missiles.
Cooper made that strategy explicit by describing the U.S. response in economic terms: two American ships were targeted, and three Iranian vessels were taken out in return.
The action also broadened the risks facing Iran’s petroleum fleet.
CENTCOM’s warning that the United States could “destroy Iran’s limited and exposed oil fleet” signals that additional tankers could become military targets if attacks on American personnel or vessels continue.
Saturday’s operation therefore linked two strategically important elements of the confrontation — protection of U.S. naval forces and Iran’s dependence on petroleum infrastructure.
Iran attempted to strike an American carrier and destroyer with ballistic missiles, according to CENTCOM, but failed to hit either warship.
U.S. forces responded by permanently disabling the Downy and Stark 1 and completely destroying the Kylo, leaving three vessels identified by Washington as part of the IRGC’s oil network out of operation.
For CENTCOM, the retaliation was intended to establish a straightforward consequence for further attacks on American forces.
“If you shoot at two of our ships,” Cooper said, the United States will respond by imposing “an even higher economic cost.”
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