Daijiworld Media Network - Washington

Washington, Sep 9: US Central Command (CENTCOM) said it destroyed five Iranian crude oil carriers on Tuesday after Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) twice targeted a US Navy warship with ballistic missiles.

According to the US military, the American warship successfully evaded both attacks and continued patrolling regional waters. No American personnel were injured in the incidents.

“The US warship successfully evaded the attempted Iranian attacks and continued to patrol regional waters. No American personnel were harmed,” CENTCOM said in a statement.

The US military said the strikes on the oil tankers were carried out in response to what it described as Iran’s “most recent failed attacks”.

The five vessels targeted were identified as M/T Kaviz, M/T Charminar, M/T Horizon 1, M/T Riesco and M/T Derya.

CENTCOM said four of the tankers were struck in the Gulf of Oman, while the Derya was targeted near Kharg Island, off Iran’s coast.

The US military said crews aboard the vessels had been ordered to abandon ship before the tankers were struck and “rendered inoperable”.

CENTCOM alleged that Iran had been using the vessels as part of a “multibillion-dollar shadow network” to generate revenue for the IRGC and its regional proxies.

“Iran has used the tankers as part of a multibillion-dollar shadow network that funds the IRGC and its regional proxies. Iran has no means by which to defend these vessels,” the US military said.

Iranian state media, however, gave a different account of the latest strikes, reporting that two Iranian oil tankers had been hit by US forces.

One tanker was reportedly struck in waters off Jask, while another was targeted near Kharg Island.

Iranian media reported that the crew of the tanker near Jask was safely evacuated following an explosion. The earlier strike near Kharg Island was also reported to have caused no casualties.

The latest confrontation marks another escalation between Washington and Tehran amid the ongoing US-Iran conflict and growing tensions over shipping and oil supplies in the Gulf region.

Shortly after the US strikes, Iran threatened to target oil tankers operating near ports in Kuwait and Bahrain in retaliation.

The threats have raised fresh concerns over the security of commercial shipping in the region, particularly around the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial route for global oil and gas shipments.