Kathmandu: The United States has claimed that it carried out military strikes on three oil tankers linked to Iran, destroying or disabling all three vessels. According to the U.S. Central Command, the strikes were carried out on Saturday after Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) launched ballistic missiles toward U.S. naval warships.
The U.S. Central Command said the three targeted oil tankers were M/T Downey, M/T Stark-1, and M/T Kylo. According to the U.S. military, the Downey was disabled near Kharg Island, the Stark-1 was permanently disabled near Jask, and the Kylo was sunk in the Gulf of Oman.
The U.S. military said the crews of the vessels had been instructed to leave before the attacks. It also claimed that a U.S. aircraft carrier and a guided-missile destroyer successfully avoided the Iranian missile attacks and that no American service members were injured.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth warned that Iran would face a strong response if it targeted American naval vessels. In a post on social media platform X, he said that Iranian oil tankers could be targeted if Iran opened fire on U.S. ships.
U.S. Central Command Commander Brad Cooper claimed that the three tankers were part of a multibillion-dollar “shadow network” that provides financial resources to the IRGC and affiliated regional groups.
Iran, however, strongly condemned the U.S. military action. Iran’s Foreign Ministry described the strikes as a violation of Article 2(4) of the United Nations Charter, calling them a war crime and a threat to international peace, maritime trade and security.
Iran also accused the United States of continuing its military aggression, naval blockade and economic warfare against the country.
The latest confrontation between the United States and Iran has raised concerns that military tensions in the Gulf region could escalate further, potentially creating additional risks for regional security and international maritime trade.
