US Airstrikes Target Iranian Oil Tankers in Retaliation for Missile Attacks
The U.S. military launched airstrikes against three Iranian oil tankers on Saturday in response to missiles fired by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) towards two American Navy warships.
The strikes, which were carried out by the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), targeted vessels that CENTCOM said were part of a network used to fund the IRGC and its regional proxies.
No American personnel were injured in the attacks, but two tankers, including the M/T Downy, were 'permanently disabled' after being hit, while a third tanker, the M/T Kylo (also known as the Noxen), was destroyed in the Gulf of Oman. The crew had been directed to abandon ship.
'If you shoot at two of our ships, we will impose an even higher economic cost, taking out three of yours,' CENTCOM commander Adm. Brad Cooper said in a statement.