US Strikes Iranian Oil Tankers Amid Escalating Tensions

The US military has responded to Iranian forces firing ballistic missiles at two of its warships by launching strikes on three crude oil tankers operated by Iran's paramilitary Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

The incident occurred on Saturday, and the US Navy ships were able to avoid the missile fire without sustaining any damage or injuries. In response, the US military targeted three oil tankers that are part of a network allegedly funneling billions of dollars to the Revolutionary Guard and its proxies.

The strikes disabled two of the tankers permanently and rendered a third inoperable after the crew was allowed to abandon ship. According to Adm. Brad Cooper, CENTCOM commander, 'Let the message to the IRGC be clear: If you shoot at two of our ships, we will impose an even higher economic cost, taking out three of yours.'

CENTCOM alleged that Iran has no capability to defend its tanker fleet and warned that attacks on US military ships would increase if they interfere with Iranian shipping.