U.S. strikes 3 Iranian oil tankers after missiles target Navy ships

The U.S. military says it struck three Iranian oil tankers Saturday after Iran launched missiles toward two U.S. Navy warships in the region.

An aircraft carrier and guided-missile destroyer evaded multiple attacks by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a social media post on Saturday.

In response, U.S. forces struck three crude oil tankers that CENTCOM said were part of a network used to fund the IRGC and its regional proxies.

No American personnel were injured.

Two tankers including the M/T Downy off the coast of Iran’s Kharg Island and the M/T Stark 1 near Jask were “permanently disabled,” according to CENTCOM.

A third tanker, the M/T Kylo, also known as the Noxen, was destroyed in the Gulf of Oman after its crew was directed to abandon the ship, the U.S. military said. The tanker was not carrying oil at the time.

“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.

“We will not hesitate to defend American forces, and if necessary, destroy Iran’s limited and exposed oil fleet.”

Iran earlier accused the U.S. of attacking an Iranian tanker near Kharg Island in the Persian Gulf.

The strikes come nearly a week after the U.S. and Iran resumed attacks following about a month of relative calm.

The conflict began with U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran on Feb. 28. Diplomatic efforts between Washington and Tehran have since stalled.

– With files from The Canadian Press