US military hits 3 Iranian oil tankers after saying Navy warships were targeted with missiles

U.S. military struck three Iranian oil tankers Saturday after Navy warships were targeted with missiles, according to a statement from the military. The strikes come a day after President Donald Trump downplayed the conflict as "small potatoes." The U.S. military said a U.S. aircraft carrier and a destroyer evaded "multiple unprovoked Iranian attacks" while patrolling in the region and no U.S. personnel were hurt.

The military claimed that two Iranian oil carriers were "permanently disabled" and the third, unladen one, was destroyed. The U.S. stated the tankers were part of a shadow network aiding Iran's Revolutionary Guard and its proxies in the region. Earlier, Iranian state TV claimed four U.S. missiles struck a tanker near Kharg Island, home to a terminal that exports most of Iran's oil.

The U.S. said one tanker was struck off Kharg Island, another near Jask, and the unladen tanker was hit in the Gulf of Oman. The U.S. military's head of Central Command, Adm. Brad Cooper, warned that "we will not hesitate to defend American forces, and if necessary, destroy Iran's limited and exposed oil fleet." The strikes followed a week of renewed attacks between the U.S. and Iran, marking the resumption of war after a month of relative calm.