US forces struck three Iranian oil tankers, US Central Command said, including one hit off the coast of Kharg Island near Iran’s main oil export hub, in a fresh surge of violence that risks further jolting global energy markets.
Central Command said the attacks came after Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps fired ballistic missiles at two US Navy ships.
“Let the message to the IRGC be clear: If you shoot at two of our ships, we will impose an even higher economic cost – taking out three of yours,” said Admiral Brad Cooper, head of US Central Command.
Tasnim, Iran’s semi-official news agency, had earlier reported that four US missiles struck a tanker in the waters around Kharg’s anchorage. Citing local sources, Tasnim said no one was killed and that the vessel’s crew was being evacuated.
Central Command said that no American personnel were harmed in the strikes
No American personnel were harmed, Central Command said.
Iranian authorities did not immediately issue an official statement.
The exchange follows a sharp escalation over the past week, raising the stakes in a conflict that has persisted since the US launched strikes on Iran in February. The fighting has disrupted global energy supplies and has stirred domestic political headwinds, with most Americans opposed ahead of congressional elections in November.
US President Donald Trump on 31 August posted a one-line message on social media, alongside an AI-generated video, declaring that Kharg Island was being “blown to smithereens”.
Iranian officials have promised a strong response if Kharg is attacked.
Iran, the third-largest producer in the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, previously shipped 90% of its crude through Kharg Island before the war. Those flows have been disrupted since a US blockade of Iranian oil exports began in mid-April.
On 11 June, Mr Trump said he wanted to take over Kharg Island, then later said a threatened US military operation there was off the table for now. The shift came days before Tehran and Washington signed an interim agreement aimed at ending the war on 17 June.
An assault on Kharg Island would intensify pressure on Iran’s oil sector and deepen the strain on its broader economy, which has already been battered by the US naval blockade.
Washington imposed the blockade on Iranian ports after Iran effectively shut the Strait of Hormuz, the strategic waterway that carried one-fifth of the world’s oil supply before the war.
Brent crude futures closed at their highest level since 24 July on Friday, at $96.28 a barrel, as Middle East tensions fuel fears of tighter global supplies.
