The U.S. military struck three Iranian oil tankers on Saturday after Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps launched ballistic missiles at two American Navy warships patrolling the Strait of Hormuz, U.S. Central Command confirmed.
CENTCOM Commander Admiral Brad Cooper announced that a U.S. aircraft carrier and a missile destroyer "successfully evaded multiple unprovoked Iranian attacks" and that no American personnel were injured. "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 stated. "We will not hesitate to defend American forces, and if necessary, destroy Iran's limited and exposed oil fleet."
One Iranian tanker near Kharg Island — a key hub in Iran's oil-export system — was struck directly. A second tanker in the Gulf of Oman was hit "in multiple critical locations" and was subsequently abandoned by its crew. The third tanker attacked was near the Iranian port of Jask, which is east of the Strait of Hormuz. The three tankers were said to be part of Iran's multibillion-dollar shadow oil network which funds the IRGC and its regional militias.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in a social media post Saturday said the U.S. would "destroy (and sink) their oil tankers" if Iran shoots at U.S. ships. "All they have to do is not shoot at @USNavy," he said.
The conflict between the U.S. and Iran resumed last week after being at relative calm for a month. The U.S. launched attacks against several Iranian sites after Iran threatened to place sea mines in the Strait of Hormuz, and then fired eight ballistic missiles at a U.S. base in Jordan. All of the missiles were intercepted by U.S. air defense systems.
The Iranian foreign ministry called the strikes on the three oil tankers "a clear violation of the United Nations Charter and a war crime." Lt. Col. Ebrahim Zolfaghari warned IRGC forces "will increase their attacks on U.S. military targets in the region with greater severity than ever before" if the U.S. continues its attacks on Iranian ships.
Reports are now emerging that Iran struck an unmanned American vessel in the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday. Iranian sources claimed the vessel was attempting to enter the Strait when it was attacked. The U.S. had not immediately confirmed that claim as of this report.
This conflict has now settled into a cycle of violence with periodic pauses. Nuclear talks that had seemed to be gaining traction this summer — with both countries signing a Memorandum of Understanding in June — ultimately collapsed. President Trump has made clear he prefers current U.S. leverage: "I like our position now much better, with almost total control of the Hormuz Strait, and their economy totally collapsing."
