US Central Command on Tuesday said it destroyed five Iranian tankers linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in response to attempted attacks by the IRGC on an American warship.
The strikes came after the IRGC allegedly targeted a US Navy warship with ballistic missiles twice over the past two days.
CENTCOM said the targeted vessel evaded both attempts and remained on patrol, with no American casualties reported. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps had launched ballistic missiles toward US Navy warships patrolling regional waters in a separate incident earlier in the week as well.
CENTCOM forces destroyed five Iranian crude oil carriers, Sept. 8, after the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) targeted a U.S. Navy warship with ballistic missiles twice over the past two days. The U.S. warship successfully evaded the attempted Iranian attacks and… pic.twitter.com/Gi8a2tloN1
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) September 8, 2026
According to CENTCOM, four of the tankers were hit in the Gulf of Oman and one was struck near Kharg Island.
It identified the vessels as M/T Kaviz, an Aframax tanker; M/T Charminar, an oil and chemical carrier; M/T Horizon 1, an LPG tanker; and M/T Riesco, another Aframax tanker, alongside M/T Derya, part of Iran's national fleet.
American forces reportedly gave crews time to abandon the ships before they were disabled.
Washington has previously described such vessels as part of a shadow fleet funding the IRGC and its regional proxies.
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CENTCOM commander Admiral Brad Cooper had warned earlier this month that any attack on U.S. ships would draw a disproportionate response against Iran's tanker fleet, following an earlier round of strikes on three tankers on 5 September.
The retaliation comes as the Strait of Hormuz — the vital waterway through which roughly a fifth of the world's oil once flowed before the conflict escalated — remains the epicentre of hostilities.
Tehran's Supreme National Security Council chief said this week that Iran plans to declare a maritime "exclusion zone" outside the strait, intending to stop vessels transiting without its permission.
Separately, the IRGC Navy warned tanker crews near Kuwaiti and Bahraini ports to evacuate their vessels in a statement carried by the semi-official Fars news agency, a claim that cannot be independently verified given the outlet's state affiliation.
Washington has also widened economic pressure on Tehran, with the Trump administration imposing fresh sanctions this week on Iran's aviation sector, targeting more than two dozen airlines and cargo operators. Crude prices have climbed as the conflict disrupts regional shipping.
ALSO READ: 'Will Make Aggressors Regret': Iran President Vows Full-Strength Retaliation As Tensions Escalate
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