US hits three Iranian oil tankers after saying its warships were targeted

The US military announced it had sunk three Iranian oil tankers following an attack on two of its warships by ballistic missiles. Centcom, the US Central Command, stated that they had permanently neutralized a tanker near Kharg Island and another near the Strait of Hormuz, while completely dismantling a third in the Gulf of Oman.

The attacks were carried out without any American casualties. Iranian state media initially reported the striking of one of their tankers off Kharg Island, but did not confirm the attacks on US vessels. Admiral Brad Cooper, the commander of Centcom, emphasized that the strikes were a clear message to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) that the US would impose significant economic costs if the IRGC continued to target US ships.

The US military claimed that these tankers were part of a vast network funding the IRGC and its regional proxies. These strikes occurred just days after renewed hostilities between the US and Iran, which followed a period of relative peace. The conflict escalated in February when the US and Israel launched wide-ranging strikes on Iran, with Iran retaliating by targeting US bases and allied states in the Gulf, and effectively blocking the Strait of Hormuz, causing a spike in global energy prices.

As the US midterm elections draw nearer in November, President Trump has been under pressure to explain the costs of the war to American consumers.