US strikes three Iranian oil tankers after warships evade missile attack

Direct confrontation near the Strait of Hormuz

United States Central Command announced on 5 September 2026 that its forces disabled or destroyed three Iranian oil tankers in regional waters. The action followed an Iranian ballistic missile attack directed at two US Navy warships, an aircraft carrier and a guided-missile destroyer, operating near the Strait of Hormuz. CENTCOM confirmed that both American vessels evaded the incoming missiles, sustaining no damage or personnel injuries during the confrontation. In response, US forces carried out retaliatory strikes on vessels identified as part of a clandestine ghost fleet used to finance the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and its regional allies. Military officials noted that the targeted commercial tankers possessed no defensive capabilities.

Let the message to the Revolutionary Guard be clear: if you shoot at two of our ships, we will extract a higher economic cost and take out three of yours.

Damage to Iranian commercial fleet

According to official military statements, American forces permanently disabled the tanker M/T Downy off the coast of Kharg Island, the site of Iran's primary crude oil export terminal. Iranian state television reported that four American missiles struck the vessel in those waters. A second tanker, the M/T Stark 1, was permanently disabled near Jask, east of the Strait of Hormuz. A third ship, the empty tanker M/T Kylo, also known as Noxen, was completely destroyed in the Gulf of Oman after US forces ordered the crew to evacuate and delivered multiple strikes to critically important sections of the hull to render it completely inoperable.

We will not hesitate to defend US forces and, if necessary, destroy Iran's limited and vulnerable oil fleet.

Iranian claims and threats of wider retaliation

Following the American operation, the naval forces of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced on Telegram that they had attacked three tankers using unauthorized routes through the Strait of Hormuz, alongside three additional vessels linked to the United States. Tehran's Foreign Ministry strongly condemned the American strikes on merchant ships across the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, categorizing the attacks as war crimes and direct violations of the United Nations Charter. Iranian diplomatic officials asserted that the United States and its regional partners bear full responsibility for the consequences of continued military interventions.

The terrorist US military is warned that if malevolent acts, insecurity and harassment of Iranian ships, as well as the naval blockade of Iran continue, the attacks of the Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran on US military vessels in the region will be stronger than before and could spread.

Context of the ongoing maritime blockade

The maritime exchange occurs as the broader conflict enters its seventh month, originating with Iran's blockade of the Strait of Hormuz on 28 February 2026. Iran has utilized control of the chokepoint as a primary instrument in the war, demanding transit authorization and effectively interrupting commercial oil shipments, while the United States maintains a blockade on Iranian ports. The latest strikes follow a heavy US air offensive earlier in the week that killed 19 people, including four attendees at a wedding celebration. In response, Tehran carried out strikes against Kuwait, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, specifically targeting American military bases in Kuwait and the UAE on Thursday. The escalating clashes follow remarks by President Donald Trump attempting to minimize the scope of the seven-month war.