US Navy Strikes Iranian Oil Tankers After Missile Attack

The United States Navy struck three Iranian oil tankers on Saturday following an Iranian missile attack on U.S. military vessels, the U.S. military announced. The U.S. military warned it would "destroy Iran's limited and exposed oil fleet if necessary." Experts described the incident as a dangerous escalation, noting that Iran's previous maritime attack targeted commercial, not military, ships.

The strikes occurred a day after U.S. President Donald Trump attempted to downplay the confrontation as "small potatoes." This latest exchange marks a further step toward conflict after six months of intermittent clashes, which began with a U.S. and Israeli attack on February 28. Both sides have sought to inflict military and economic damage, and negotiations that followed a ceasefire have collapsed.

According to the military statement, a U.S. aircraft carrier and a destroyer evaded "unprovoked, extensive Iranian attacks" while patrolling the area, with no American crew members harmed. The timing of the Iranian missile launch was not specified.

The statement indicated that two American oil tankers were "permanently disabled" and a third was destroyed. It identified the tankers as part of a shadow network that helps fund Iran's Revolutionary Guard and its regional armed proxies. Iranian state television later reported that Iran fired on three oil tankers and three American vessels in response to U.S. attacks, though this information could not be immediately verified. Iranian television also reported a spokesperson for the joint forces command warning that attacks on U.S. military vessels would intensify if the U.S. continued to interfere with Iranian shipping.