US Vows To Destroy Iranian Oil Tankers If Attacked

U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth stated on Saturday that "if Iran fires on our ships, we will destroy its oil tankers," adding that Iran's "oil tanker fleet is unprotected and Tehran lacks the naval or air forces to protect its fleet." This statement comes after U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced it had conducted airstrikes on three Iranian oil tankers on September 5th. According to CENTCOM, the strikes followed an incident where Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps fired ballistic missiles toward two U.S. Navy warships on patrol in regional waters. The U.S. warships successfully evaded several "unprovoked Iranian attacks" without any personnel casualties.

CENTCOM further reported that following the failed Iranian missile launches, it disabled two Revolutionary Guard oil tankers, the "Downey" off the coast of Khark Island and the "Stark 1" near Jask, permanently. Additionally, U.S. forces destroyed the oil tanker "Kilo" (also known as "Knoxen") in the Gulf of Oman after targeting multiple critical areas, rendering it completely disabled after its crew was ordered to evacuate.

Iranian state television acknowledged that U.S. forces had bombed three Iranian oil tankers in the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. The report also included an assertion that "Israel and America want to pit the Arab countries against Iran instead of Israel and make the conflict Arab-Iranian."