US Destroys Five Iranian Oil Tankers After IRGC Missile Attacks
The US military has destroyed five Iranian oil tankers in response to ballistic missile attacks on a US Navy warship. The strikes occurred near Kharg Island and in the Gulf of Oman, with four of the tankers located in the Gulf of Oman and one near Kharg Island.
CENTCOM forces directed the crews to abandon ship before the vessels were struck and rendered inoperable.
The attacks come after the IRGC targeted a US Navy warship with ballistic missiles twice over the past two days, prompting warnings from Secretary of State Marco Rubio that the US would respond every time Iran targeted its naval ships.
Rubio stated, 'They're going to lose tankers.' The IRGC Navy also warned crews of oil tankers near ports in Kuwait and Bahrain to immediately leave their vessels, saying the ships could be targeted in retaliation for US attacks on Iranian tankers.