CENTCOM Targets Three Iranian Oil Tankers in Retaliation for Missile Attacks
US forces have targeted three Iranian oil tankers as part of a clandestine network used to finance the country's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and its regional proxies. The US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced that airstrikes were carried out against the tankers, with one being disabled off the coast of Kharg Island and another near Jask. A third tanker was destroyed in the Gulf of Oman after its crew had been evacuated.
CENTCOM said that no US military personnel were injured during the attacks, which came after Iranian ballistic missiles were launched towards two US warships. The IRGC's oil tankers are a key part of the group's financing operations, and CENTCOM Commander Admiral Brad Cooper warned that the US would impose a 'much greater economic cost' on the IRGC.