CAIRO — The U.S. military announced Saturday that it struck three Iranian oil tankers after Navy warships were targeted with missiles, warning it would destroy Iran’s oil fleet if necessary. The strikes come a day after President Donald Trump sought to downplay the conflict as minor.
The military statement said a U.S. aircraft carrier and a destroyer evaded multiple unprovoked Iranian attacks while patrolling in the region. No U.S. personnel were injured. Two Iranian oil carriers were permanently disabled and a third, unladen tanker was destroyed.
The statement said the tankers were part of a shadow network helping to fund Iran’s Revolutionary Guard and its armed proxies. Earlier, Iranian state television reported four U.S. missiles struck a tanker about six miles from Kharg Island, home to a terminal through which Iran exports most of its oil.
Kharg Island has been repeatedly targeted during the war, including U.S. strikes on military sites there in March. The U.S. said one tanker was struck off Kharg Island and another near Jask, east of the Strait of Hormuz. The unladen tanker was hit in the Gulf of Oman. Video footage of the strikes was shared.
Adm. Brad Cooper, head of U.S. Central Command, said: “We will not hesitate to defend American forces, and if necessary, destroy Iran’s limited and exposed oil fleet.”
The strikes came nearly a week after the U.S. and Iran resumed attacks following a month of relative calm. At least five people were killed earlier in the week during a U.S. bombardment of southern Iran, including a strike on a wedding.
The resumption of fighting came after new U.S. efforts to apply economic pressures on Tehran. Iran’s hard-line new senior leaders have signaled willingness to dig in after weathering decades of sanctions. Meanwhile, the issue that helped lead to the war—Iran’s nuclear program—was meant to be addressed in negotiations that fell apart soon after the U.S. and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding in mid-June.
Tehran’s new leverage now focuses on the Strait of Hormuz, crucial to global oil and natural gas shipments. The U.S. military has been helping to guide ships through the strait as Tehran asserts control and targets some vessels, but overall traffic remains low.
Seems contradictory to call it small potatoes then immediately destroy Iran’s oil fleet. Where is the consistency here?
The Strait of Hormuz is critical for global energy. This escalation could spike prices worldwide again.