Tehran Claims US Forces Bombed Three Iranian Oil Tankers

WASHINGTON/TEHRAN — US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has warned Iran that the United States would target and destroy Iranian oil tankers if Iranian forces fire on American vessels.

The warning came after US Central Command (CENTCOM) said it had carried out airstrikes on three Iranian crude-oil tankers on September 5. According to the US military, the strikes followed ballistic missile attacks by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) against two US Navy warships operating in regional waters.

Hegseth said Iran’s oil tanker fleet was vulnerable and claimed that Tehran had no naval or air capability capable of adequately protecting the vessels.

Iranian state television, meanwhile, acknowledged that US forces had bombed three Iranian oil tankers in the Gulf and Gulf of Oman. The broadcaster reported that one of the tankers was empty.

CENTCOM said a US aircraft carrier and a guided-missile destroyer had successfully evaded what it described as multiple unprovoked Iranian attacks. No US personnel were reported injured.

In a statement, CENTCOM said that following the failed attacks, US forces permanently disabled two tankers allegedly linked to the IRGC: the Downey near the coast of Kharg Island and the Stark 1 near Jask.

US forces also struck the oil tanker Klu, also known as Noxen, in the Gulf of Oman, targeting several sensitive locations on the vessel. CENTCOM said the tanker became completely disabled after its crew was ordered to abandon the ship.

The US military said the three tankers were part of what it described as a multibillion-dollar covert network used to finance Iran’s Revolutionary Guard and its regional proxies. CENTCOM also said Iran lacked the means to defend the vessels.

CENTCOM commander Admiral Brad Cooper said the message to the IRGC should be clear: if Iranian forces fire on two American ships, the United States will destroy three Iranian vessels and impose a significantly greater economic cost on Tehran.

“We will not hesitate to defend US forces,” Cooper said, adding that Washington was prepared to destroy Iran’s limited oil fleet if necessary.

The strikes come as Washington continues to exert economic and military pressure on Tehran, including efforts to blockade Iranian ports, maintain strict sanctions and impose secondary sanctions on countries conducting transactions with Iran.

The confrontation has also been unfolding against the backdrop of the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most strategically important energy routes. According to the report, Iran has effectively kept the strait closed since the war began following US and Israeli attacks at the end of February.

The United States has responded by establishing a blockade around Iranian ports. After a period of relative calm lasting about a month, military tensions have recently intensified again, with the two sides exchanging attacks.

Diplomatic efforts to resolve the confrontation remain stalled.