U.S. ‘destroys’ 5 IRGC-linked tankers after Iran targets another American warship

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said its forces destroyed five Iranian crude oil carriers yesterday (8 September) after the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) targeted a U.S. Navy warship with ballistic missiles twice over the past two days.

The U.S. warship successfully evaded the attempted Iranian attacks and continued to patrol regional waters. No American personnel were harmed.

In response to Iran’s most recent failed attacks, CENTCOM destroyed what it called “the IRGC crude oil carriers M/T Kaviz, M/T Charminar, M/T Horizon 1, and M/T Riesco in the Gulf of Oman as well as M/T Derya near Kharg Island. American forces directed the crews to abandon ship before the vessels were struck and rendered inoperable (CENTCOM screengrab pictured)

CENTCOM says Iran has used the tankers as part of a multibillion-dollar shadow network that funds the IRGC and its regional proxies.

Three days previously, CENTCOM forces had destroyed three Iranian crude oil carriers after the IRGC tried to attack a U.S. aircraft carrier and guided-missile destroyer, again unsuccessfully.