The United States military said it struck three Iranian crude oil tankers on Saturday, responding to ballistic missiles that Iran's Revolutionary Guard fired toward two U.S. Navy warships. The exchange ends a lull of about a month and puts fresh pressure on shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
Three tankers hit from Kharg to the Gulf of Oman
The U.S. said one tanker was struck off Kharg Island, the hub that has handled roughly 90 percent of Iran's crude exports, and another was hit near Jask, east of the Strait of Hormuz. The third vessel, an unladen tanker, was struck in the Gulf of Oman and its crew was directed to abandon ship. Iran's state broadcaster said crews of the other two tankers had also evacuated.
Adm. Brad Cooper, head of U.S. Central Command, said in a statement: “We will not hesitate to defend American forces, and if necessary, destroy Iran's limited and exposed oil fleet.”
A conflict that keeps flaring
The strikes came nearly a week after the United States and Iran resumed attacks following a month of relative calm. At least five people were killed earlier in the week during a U.S. bombardment of southern Iran, and one strike hit a wedding, wounding a 13-year-old girl who was treated at a hospital. The wider conflict began about six months ago with joint U.S.-Israeli airstrikes. Vice President JD Vance said Thursday that he would not call it a war, saying there was no active shooting, and he declined to set a timetable for ending the standoff.
Why the strait matters
Kharg Island has been attacked repeatedly through the conflict, and President Donald Trump has previously threatened to capture it. Roughly a fifth of the world's oil passes through the Strait of Hormuz, so each new exchange pushes prices higher. Iran's foreign ministry condemned Saturday's strikes as illegal and a threat to commercial shipping, and state media warned that Iran would expand its attacks on U.S. military vessels if Washington kept blocking Iranian ports and targeting its ships.