US Strikes Five Iranian Oil Tankers as Iran Retaliates Across Gulf Region
The United States military has struck five Iranian oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman and the Strait of Hormuz, while Iran has launched retaliatory attacks against US-linked targets in Jordan and vessels attempting to cross the strategic waterway, sharply escalating tensions in the region.
The US Central Command (CENTCOM) said Tuesday that American forces targeted five Iranian oil carriers after Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) allegedly launched two ballistic-missile attacks against a US Navy warship over the previous two days.
According to CENTCOM, the US warship successfully evaded both attacks and continued its patrols. No American personnel were injured.
US forces struck four tankers in the Gulf of Oman — the M/T Kaviz, M/T Charminar, M/T Horizon 1 and M/T Riesco — while a fifth vessel, the M/T Derya, was attacked near Iran’s Kharg Island in the Strait of Hormuz.
CENTCOM said the vessels were linked to the IRGC and accused Iran of using them as part of a multibillion-dollar oil-smuggling network that helps finance the Revolutionary Guard and its regional allies. The US military said crews were ordered to abandon the vessels shortly before the strikes.
CENTCOM forces destroyed five Iranian crude oil carriers, Sept. 8, 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… pic.twitter.com/Gi8a2tloN1
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) September 8, 2026
Iranian media reported explosions near the southern port of Jask and Kharg Island, two strategically important locations for Iran’s oil exports. The M/T Riesco was later reported to have sunk in the Gulf of Oman after being destroyed in the US operation.
Iran responded with its own attacks. Iranian state media reported that the IRGC launched ballistic missiles toward US-linked targets in Jordan, where American military personnel and facilities are based.
Jordan’s armed forces said they detected 20 ballistic missiles launched toward Jordanian territory and successfully intercepted 18 of them. Two missiles fell in unpopulated areas, according to the military. A US official said the Iranian attack was ineffective and that all American personnel in Jordan were accounted for.
The IRGC also claimed it had targeted two US ships, eight oil tankers and 10 other vessels that it accused of attempting to cross what Iran described as a prohibited and unsafe zone in the Strait of Hormuz.
The Iranian military further warned oil tankers operating from ports in Bahrain and Kuwait to leave the area, threatening to target vessels whether they were anchored or docked.
M/T Riesco sinks in the Gulf of Oman, Sept. 8, after being destroyed by CENTCOM forces in response to attempted IRGC attacks on a U.S. Navy warship. pic.twitter.com/EkmG8uyMT9
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) September 9, 2026
