The U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced that American forces destroyed five Iranian oil tankers linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on Tuesday, in response to two attempts by the IRGC to target a U.S. Navy warship with ballistic missiles over the previous two days.
CENTCOM said in a statement that the U.S. warship successfully evaded both attacks and continued its patrols in the region, with no American personnel injured.
U.S. Forces Strike Five Iranian Tankers
CENTCOM said the U.S. military destroyed the Kaviz, Charminar, Horizon 1, and Riesco tankers in the Gulf of Oman, as well as the Derya tanker near Kharg Island.
The command said U.S. forces instructed the crews to evacuate the vessels before carrying out the strikes, after which the tankers were disabled and rendered inoperable.
U.S. Accusations Against the IRGC
CENTCOM accused Iran of using the tankers as part of a covert network worth billions of dollars to finance the IRGC and its regional proxies.
The U.S. military said it would continue responding to what it described as threats against American naval vessels operating in the region.
Three More Iranian Tankers Destroyed Earlier
CENTCOM also said U.S. forces destroyed three additional Iranian crude oil tankers on Saturday, following an attempted IRGC attack on a U.S. aircraft carrier and a guided-missile destroyer.
The command said all attempts by the IRGC to target U.S. Navy warships had failed so far.
Earlier, two U.S. officials told CNN that the U.S. military had targeted Iranian oil tankers linked to the IRGC near Kharg Island, as part of the response to attempted missile attacks against a U.S. Navy warship.
