US Destroys or Disables Three Iranian Oil Tankers in Persian Gulf
The US military has claimed it destroyed or permanently disabled three Iranian oil tankers in response to an alleged ballistic missile attack on US naval vessels in the Persian Gulf. The US Central Command (CENTCOM) said Iran launched multiple ballistic missiles at a US Navy aircraft carrier and a guided-missile destroyer patrolling the Gulf.
No US service members were injured or harmed, but the command claimed it responded by disabling two IRGC crude oil tankers: the M/T Downey off Kharg Island and the M/T Stark 1 near Jask port. It also disabled an empty tanker, the M/T Kylo (also known as Noxen), in the Gulf of Oman.
The three tankers were allegedly part of a multibillion-dollar 'shadow network' used to finance the IRGC and armed regional proxy groups supported by it, according to the US military. CENTCOM commander Admiral Brad Cooper warned Tehran: 'Our message to the IRGC is clear, if you fire on our ships, you will pay an even higher price.'
Iran is the third-largest oil producer in OPEC, with about 90% of its total crude oil exports passing through Kharg Island before the US-Iran war.