Image Credit: BBC | Iranian oil tankers
The U.S. military said it destroyed five Iranian oil tankers on Tuesday after Iran’s Revolutionary Guard launched ballistic missiles toward a U.S. Navy warship, marking another sharp escalation in the six-month-old US-Iran conflict. U.S. Central Command said the American vessel evaded the attacks and no U.S. personnel were hurt.
The strikes hit four tankers in the Gulf of Oman and another vessel near Kharg Island, a major Iranian oil hub in the Persian Gulf. CENTCOM said crews were ordered to abandon the ships before the attacks. Iran responded by launching missiles toward U.S. targets in Jordan, according to Iranian state media, extending the latest round of military retaliation beyond maritime waters.
Iranian Oil Tankers Targeted in US Retaliation
CENTCOM identified the vessels struck Tuesday as the Kivik, Charminar, Horizon 1 and Riesco in the Gulf of Oman, along with the Derya near Kharg Island.
The U.S. military said the strikes followed two attempted ballistic missile attacks by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps against a Navy warship over the previous two days. The ship continued patrolling regional waters after avoiding the missiles. The latest action comes only days after CENTCOM said U.S. forces destroyed three Iranian crude oil carriers on September 5 following separate missile attacks aimed at a U.S. aircraft carrier and guided-missile destroyer. Those ships also escaped without American casualties.
CENTCOM described the earlier vessels as part of an IRGC-linked oil network that helps finance Iran’s military and regional proxies. Tuesday’s strikes therefore represent a widening US military retaliation strategy in which attacks on American naval assets are being answered with direct strikes against Iran’s oil transport capacity.
Iran Hits Back as Persian Gulf Tension Rises
Iranian state television confirmed that U.S. forces had attacked tankers near the southern port of Jask and around Kharg Island. It also reported that crews were evacuated.
Iran later launched missiles toward American targets in Jordan. Jordan’s military said its air defenses intercepted 18 ballistic missiles, while two others landed in uninhabited areas. No casualties were reported. The exchange has intensified Persian Gulf tension and raised fears that the US-Iran maritime conflict could expand further around the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Navy also warned crews aboard oil tankers near ports in Kuwait and Bahrain to leave their vessels, accusing both countries of assisting U.S. military operations. The warnings underscore the risk that commercial shipping could become increasingly exposed as the conflict spreads across key Gulf shipping lanes.
Strait of Hormuz Becomes Central Flashpoint
The Strait of Hormuz remains one of the most strategically important waterways in the world, carrying roughly one-fifth of global oil shipments before the current war disrupted traffic. The United States and Iran are both attempting to influence how vessels move through the waterway.
Washington has been helping selected commercial ships transit along a route close to Oman, while Tehran has pushed for vessels to follow routes it controls. Iran has also threatened to establish a new exclusion zone near the strait.
The resulting uncertainty is already feeding energy-market volatility. Brent crude briefly climbed to $99.46 a barrel on Tuesday before settling at $97.92, as investors reacted to the latest Middle East escalation and the possibility of further disruption to oil supplies. That puts added pressure on global inflation and fuel prices.
Trump Administration Adds Economic Pressure
The tanker strikes are part of a broader economic and military campaign by President Donald Trump’s administration. On Tuesday, Washington also announced additional sanctions targeting more than two dozen entities in Iran’s aviation sector, including airlines and foreign cargo providers accused of helping Tehran maintain international commercial and logistical links.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Iran should expect consequences whenever it targets American naval forces, linking the destruction of the tankers directly to Iranian missile attacks.
The approach combines military action against Iran’s oil-export infrastructure with financial and trade pressure designed to further isolate Tehran. The U.S. has also maintained pressure on Iranian ports, limiting oil exports and increasing the economic cost of the conflict.
Risk of Wider Regional Escalation Grows
The destruction of five more Iranian oil tankers shows how quickly the confrontation is moving from isolated military exchanges toward repeated attacks on strategic economic assets.
With Iranian missiles targeting U.S.-linked facilities in Jordan, warnings issued to ships near Kuwait and Bahrain, and American forces continuing strikes in the Gulf of Oman and near Kharg Island, the conflict now touches several countries and critical energy routes.
The central danger remains the Strait of Hormuz. Any prolonged disruption there could sharply affect global oil supply, shipping insurance, freight costs, and energy prices, while further military exchanges would increase the risk of a wider regional confrontation. For now, both Washington and Tehran continue responding to each new attack with another round of retaliation, leaving little sign that the current cycle of US Navy retaliatory strikes on Iran and Iranian missile attacks is easing.
This story was originally featured in the AP News