US and Iranian Forces Trade Strikes on Tankers Near Iran
US forces struck three Iranian oil tankers after IRGC missiles targeted US Navy ships. Iran says it hit six vessels. No casualties reported.
The United States and Iran exchanged fire on Saturday in waters around the Islamic Republic, with Washington striking three Iranian oil tankers and Tehran claiming it targeted six vessels, including three in the Strait of Hormuz.
US Central Command said it hit the Iranian ships, one near Kharg Island — Iran's primary oil export hub — in response to ballistic missiles fired by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) at two US Navy vessels.
Admiral Brad Cooper, head of Central Command, issued a blunt warning: "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."
The IRGC responded with threats of intensified strikes against US military vessels. In a statement carried on Iranian state TV, the IRGC Navy warned against "any suspicious movement aimed at passing through unauthorized waterways," adding that violators "will be targeted."
Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency reported that four US missiles hit a tanker near Kharg's anchorage, with no casualties and the crew being evacuated. Central Command confirmed no American personnel were harmed.
The exchange follows a week of escalating tensions in a conflict that began with US and Israeli strikes on Iran in February. The fighting has disrupted global energy supplies and drawn domestic opposition ahead of November's congressional elections.
President Donald Trump has kept military options open while his administration pursues economic pressure through sanctions. On August 31, Trump posted an AI-generated video depicting Kharg Island being destroyed. Iranian authorities have vowed a strong response to any attack on the island.
Iran, the third-largest OPEC producer, exported 90% of its crude via Kharg before the war. A US naval blockade since mid-April has severely disrupted those flows. The blockade followed Iran's effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a waterway that carried one-fifth of the world's oil supply pre-war.
Brent crude futures closed Friday at $96.28 a barrel, their highest level since July 24, as Middle East tensions drive supply concerns.