The US military said it carried out US military strikes on Iranian oil tankers after ballistic missiles were launched toward two of its warships in the region. Centcom said the action came after repeated attacks on US forces and hit three Iran-linked tankers in separate waters.
Admiral Brad Cooper said, "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." He also said, "We will not hesitate to defend American forces, and if necessary, destroy Iran's limited and exposed oil fleet." Centcom said no American troops were harmed.
Kharg Island and the Strait of Hormuz
Centcom said it permanently disabled one tanker near Kharg Island and another near the Strait of Hormuz, then completely destroyed a third tanker in the Gulf of Oman. Iranian state media earlier reported that one of its tankers had been struck off the coast of Kharg Island. That places the damage across three shipping areas that matter to tanker traffic moving through the Gulf.
Centcom also said the three tankers were part of a multibillion-dollar shadow network that funds the IRGC and its regional proxies. The US military said it successfully evaded multiple attacks from the IRGC targeting a US aircraft carrier and guided-missile destroyer, which is the immediate military sequence behind the strikes.
US and Iran trade strikes for first time in weeks
The strikes came nearly a week after renewed attacks between the US and Iran. On 28 February, the US and Israel first launched wide-ranging strikes on Iran, and Iran responded by attacking Israel, US bases and allied states in the Gulf. Last month, a 60-day ceasefire between the US and Iran formally expired, and days later Donald Trump said the US would launch tougher economic measures against Iran and any country that helps or does business with it.
The maritime and economic picture is what shipping interests will be watching now. Centcom has tied the tanker strikes to a direct hit on US warships and to a wider effort to squeeze the oil network it says supports the IRGC, while Tehran has already shown it is willing to answer pressure with force at sea and beyond.
US Vice-President JD Vance said the US military was investigating Iranian claims that American strikes killed at least four people, including two children, at a wedding in southern Iran. The Iranian Red Crescent Society said shrapnel from a missile hit a ceremony at a home in Sirik on Tuesday, and Tehran declared the strike on the wedding a war crime.
The remaining open issue is whether Iran will answer the tanker strikes with another move against US forces or shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf of Oman. For crews, insurers and cargo owners moving through those lanes, the immediate risk is that the attack-response cycle has now shifted from threats to disabled hulls.
