US disables two Iranian tankers, destroys third after Iran targets warships

The United States said it struck three Iranian oil tankers near Kharg Island, Jask and in the Gulf of Oman after Iranian forces launched missiles at a U.S. aircraft carrier and guided-missile destroyer; CENTCOM said no American personnel were injured. Washington described the vessels as part of a shadow network financing Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, saying two tankers were disabled and a third was destroyed after its crew abandoned ship. Iran’s Revolutionary Guard claimed it subsequently targeted three tankers using unauthorized routes through the Strait of Hormuz and three U.S.-linked vessels elsewhere, but the United States had not confirmed those attacks. Tehran warned that attacks on U.S. military vessels would intensify if the naval blockade and restrictions on Iranian shipping continued. The exchange marked a significant escalation in a wider conflict that disrupted commercial traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, pressured Iran’s economy and kept oil prices elevated.