CENTCOM Destroys Five Iranian Oil Tankers in Retaliation for IRGC Missile Attacks

The United States Central Command (CENTCOM) announced that its forces destroyed five Iranian crude oil carriers on September 8, in response to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) targeting a U.S. Navy warship with ballistic missiles twice over the preceding two days.

The U.S. warship successfully evaded the attempted Iranian attacks and continued to patrol regional waters without sustaining any casualties, according to CENTCOM.

CENTCOM alleged that Iran had used the tankers as part of a multibillion-dollar shadow network to fund the IRGC and its regional proxies, which it claimed had no means to defend the vessels.

The strikes came amid heightened tensions in the Gulf region in recent days. Iran claimed to have retaliated by carrying out 'fierce missile strikes' against Al Azraq air base in Jordan, but CENTCOM stated that all IRGC attempts against U.S. Navy warships had failed.