The US military struck three Iranian crude oil carriers on Saturday, stating that this was a response to missiles launched at two US naval patrols by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
“A U.S. aircraft carrier and guided-missile destroyer successfully evaded multiple unprovoked Iranian attacks. No American personnel were harmed,” regional command CENTCOM said in a statement.
“The three Iranian crude oil tankers are part of a multibillion-dollar shadow network that funds the IRGC and its regional proxies. Iran has no means by which to defend them,” CENTCOM said.
“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,” said Admiral Brad Cooper, CENTCOM commander, according to the statement.
CENTCOM’s comments followed Iranian media reports of explosions near the strategically important island of Kharg in the Gulf, where the bulk of the country’s oil exports are handled.
Iran’s Tasnim news agency said four US missiles struck an Iranian oil tanker around 11 kilometres off the coast of the island. There were no casualties, and the crew were evacuating the ship, the report said.
According to the Iranian news agency ISNA, a small vessel was hit.
US authorities did not confirm a strike on a tanker.
Kharg is the most important hub for Tehran’s crude oil exports, with more than 90% of these believed to transit through the island’s facilities.