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11h ago

U.S. Strikes and Disables Three Iranian Oil Tankers After Missiles Target U.S. Warships

Aimed at choking an IRGC oil‑financing network, the strikes raise new risks for shipping and global energy supplies.

The attacks mark a major escalation in US military operations against Iranian commercial and petroleum-linked assets. (Credits: X/CENTCOMM)
Fire and smoke rise during what U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) says are strikes on Iranian oil carriers, at an unknown location in this screengrab taken from a handout video released on September 5, 2026. U.S. Central Command/Handout via REUTERS
A satellite image shows an oil terminal at Kharg Island, Iran, February 25, 2026.
As per Marine Traffic, MT Kylo is a Comoros-flagged crude oil tanker. Online traffic tracking websites also detect that tanker to have been in the Gulf of Oman.

Overview

  • U.S. Central Command said Saturday that American forces permanently disabled M/T Downy off Kharg Island, disabled M/T Stark 1 near Jask, and destroyed M/T Kylo (also called Noxen) in the Gulf of Oman in retaliation for IRGC ballistic missiles fired at a U.S. aircraft carrier and a guided‑missile destroyer.
  • CENTCOM released video and audio showing warnings to crews and said no U.S. personnel were harmed while Admiral Brad Cooper framed the strikes as economic retaliation against a 'multibillion‑dollar shadow network' that funds the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and its proxies.
  • Iranian state media and the IRGC confirmed explosions and crew evacuations near Kharg Island and vowed tougher reprisals, with the IRGC later claiming it targeted other vessels on routes it called unauthorized.
  • The attacks concentrate on the Strait of Hormuz and Kharg Island, key nodes for Iran's oil exports, and have already suppressed regional shipping and pushed oil prices higher by raising the risk to commercial traffic.
  • The strikes mark a fresh escalation in a six‑month cycle of U.S. and Iranian strikes that mixes military strikes with sanctions and is likely to force Washington and Tehran to weigh further targeting of Iran's revenue streams or stepped retaliation that could widen disruption to civilians and global energy markets.