The U.S. military said it struck three Iranian oil tankers after ballistic missiles were launched toward American Navy warships, raising tensions along one of the world’s most important shipping lanes. U.S. Central Command said an aircraft carrier and a destroyer evaded the missile fire and that no American personnel were hurt, according to the Associated Press and the Washington Post.
Central Command described strikes on multiple tankers in the region, saying the incidents occurred off Kharg Island in the Persian Gulf, near the port of Jask east of the Strait of Hormuz, and in the Gulf of Oman. The outlets reported the command said two tankers were disabled and the third, which it said was not carrying oil, was destroyed. The command also said the crew of the unladen ship in the Gulf of Oman was directed to abandon ship, the AP noted.
Kharg Island is Iran’s main crude export hub. Iranian state television said U.S. missiles struck a tanker near Kharg and reported that the crew had been evacuated with no casualties, the Post reported. The U.S. military also released what it said was video of the strikes on the ships, according to both outlets.
Washington framed the action as a response to Iran’s missile launches at the two U.S. warships. The Pentagon did not specify when the Iranian missiles were fired, but said the American ships avoided what it called “multiple unprovoked” attacks and continued operating, per the AP. A Central Command official warned the U.S. could, if necessary, “destroy Iran’s limited and exposed oil fleet,” a line carried by both the AP and the Post.
Tehran denounced the tanker strikes as a violation of international law. Iran’s Foreign Ministry called them a war crime and said any consequences from continued “economic warfare” would rest with Washington and its allies, the AP reported. Iranian state media later said Iran had targeted tankers and U.S. vessels in response; the Washington Post said those claims could not be immediately confirmed. The U.K. Maritime Trade Operations office did not immediately comment, the Post added.
The area at the center of the latest exchange, the Strait of Hormuz, is a narrow chokepoint that handles a large share of global oil shipments. The AP described it as vital to energy supply, and the Post noted U.S. efforts to help shepherd ships through amid rising risks.
Why it matters
When shooting ramps up around the Strait of Hormuz, it threatens the flow of oil that helps set what Americans pay at the pump. The U.S. strikes also signal a willingness to hit assets tied to Iran’s oil trade, which could tighten markets and push up energy costs. And for U.S. troops and sailors in the region, more missile exchanges mean more danger and less margin for error.