CENTCOM: We attacked three Iranian oil tankers in response to the launch of ballistic missiles toward US warships

- Cooper: We will not hesitate to destroy Iran’s oil fleet if necessary, and we will impose a higher economic cost on the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced on Saturday that its forces attacked three Iranian crude oil tankers on September 5, in response to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) launching ballistic missiles toward two U.S. Navy warships conducting patrols in territorial waters.

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CENTCOM stated that a U.S. aircraft carrier and a guided-missile destroyer successfully evaded multiple Iranian attacks, confirming that no U.S. personnel were harmed.

It added that following the Iranian attacks, U.S. forces permanently disabled two IRGC-owned crude oil tankers, “Dawni,” off the coast of Kharg Island, and “Stark 1,” near Jask.

The command clarified that U.S. forces completely destroyed the empty crude oil tanker “Kilo,” also known as “Noksan,” in the Gulf of Oman, after striking several critical areas to render it inoperable, following orders for its crew to abandon ship.

CENTCOM noted that the three Iranian crude oil tankers are part of a secret, multi-billion-dollar network funding the IRGC and its proxies in the region, adding that Iran “has no means to defend them.”

U.S. Central Command Commander Admiral Brad Cooper said: “Let the message to the IRGC be clear: If you fire on two of our ships, we will impose a much higher economic cost on you by destroying three of yours.”

Cooper added: “We will not hesitate to defend U.S. forces and destroy Iran’s limited and exposed oil fleet if necessary.”