U.S. military says it struck three Iranian crude oil carriers near Kharg Island

The US military has struck three Iranian crude oil carriers. According to US Central Command (Centcom), the vessels were part of a multibillion-dollar shadow network that funds the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and its regional proxies.

The strikes occurred after ballistic missiles were launched towards two US warships in the region. Centcom said it had permanently disabled a tanker near Kharg Island and another near the Strait of Hormuz, and completely destroyed a third in the Gulf of Oman. The US military reported that no American troops were harmed.

Admiral Brad Cooper, Centcom's commander, stated that the strikes were a response to Iranian attacks, saying "If you shoot at two of our ships, we will impose an even higher economic cost - taking out three of yours." The Iranian state media reported that one of its tankers had been struck off the coast of Kharg Island, but Tehran did not immediately acknowledge attacks on US ships.

Brief written by urgent.news from Haaretz, BBC News, Daily Post Nigeria, Investing.com, BBC World — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.