The United States military says it has destroyed five Iranian crude oil tankers after Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps targeted a US Navy warship with ballistic missiles.
The US Central Command said the warship evaded both missile attacks, which happened over two days, and continued its patrols without any American personnel being injured.
According to CENTCOM, four of the tankers were destroyed in the Gulf of Oman.
They were identified as the M/T Kaviz, M/T Charminar, M/T Horizon 1 and M/T Riesco.
The fifth tanker, the M/T Derya, was struck near Iran’s Kharg Island.
CENTCOM said the crews were ordered to abandon the vessels before the strikes, which left the tankers inoperable.
The US military described the vessels as part of a multibillion dollar Iranian “shadow network” allegedly used to fund the IRGC and its regional allies.
The latest strikes came three days after US forces destroyed three other Iranian crude oil carriers following what Washington described as attempted Iranian attacks on a US aircraft carrier and a guided missile destroyer.
The attacks mark another escalation in the confrontation between Washington and Tehran, with tensions rising around the Gulf and the strategically important Strait of Hormuz.
Iran has also launched missiles toward US targets in Jordan, according to Iranian state media.
Jordanian authorities said their air defences intercepted 18 of 20 ballistic missiles launched toward its territory.
No casualties were reported.
The Strait of Hormuz remains a major flashpoint because it carries a significant share of global oil shipments.
The latest escalation has also pushed international oil prices closer to 100 dollars a barrel, raising fresh concerns about the impact of the conflict on global energy supplies.
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