The United States military announced Saturday that it had struck three Iranian oil tankers, asserting the action was in retaliation for Iran's alleged unprovoked attempts to attack two U.S. warships.
This reported exchange of fire occurred just days after a period of intense fighting between the two nations, a development that comes as President Trump seeks to shift focus from military engagement to economic pressure on Iran.
While Iran's armed forces did not confirm specific attacks on U.S. vessels, a statement released through state media warned that Iran's response to U.S. "military vessels" would intensify and broaden if Washington continued its targeting of Iranian ships and maintained its naval blockade of Iranian ports.
U.S. Central Command, responsible for U.S. military operations in the Middle East, detailed in a statement that its forces had "permanently disabled" one Iranian crude oil carrier off the coast of Kharg Island and another near the southern port city of Jask. A third tanker, reportedly devoid of oil, was "completely destroyed" in the Gulf of Oman after U.S. forces directed its crew to abandon ship.
Iranian state media subsequently confirmed the strikes, indicating that a tanker near Kharg Island, Iran's principal oil export hub, and two other tankers in the Jask region on the Gulf of Oman were targeted. No casualties were reported in the incidents.
