The U.S. military struck three Iranian crude oil tankers on Saturday near Kharg Island in the Persian Gulf. The operation was conducted in retaliation for attacks by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which targeted two U.S. Navy warships with ballistic missiles.
The U.S. military reported that an aircraft carrier and a destroyer evaded multiple unprovoked attacks, and no U.S. personnel were injured. In the subsequent strikes, two Iranian oil carriers were permanently disabled and a third unladen tanker was destroyed.
According to the U.S. military, the tankers were part of a shadow network used to fund the Revolutionary Guard and its armed proxies in the region. This latest bout of fighting marks an intensifying effort by both sides to assert control over the Strait of Hormuz.
Iranian state media and the Tasnim news agency reported that a tanker was hit near Kharg Island, accusing the United States of attacking the vessel.