CENTCOM said Sunday morning that Iran's IRGC fired ballistic missiles at a U.S. aircraft carrier and destroyer, both evaded the attacks with no American casualties. In response, U.S. forces permanently disabled the oil tankers M/T Downy near Kharg Island and M/T Stark 1 near Jask, and destroyed the unladen tanker M/T Kylo (Noxen) in the Gulf of Oman after its crew evacuated. CENTCOM commander Adm. Brad Cooper warned: 'If you fire on our two ships, we will destroy three of yours' and said Washington is prepared to destroy Iran's exposed oil fleet. Iran later claimed it retaliated against additional ships, unconfirmed.
CENTCOM reinforced its warning early Sunday morning, stating that Iran's oil fleet is "next" after U.S. forces destroyed three IRGC-linked tankers on Saturday. Adm. Brad Cooper, CENTCOM commander, said Washington is prepared to destroy Iran's "limited and exposed oil fleet" if further attacks occur.
As The Zioneer reported on Saturday evening, the IRGC launched ballistic missiles at a U.S. aircraft carrier and a guided-missile destroyer; both evaded the attack with no American casualties. CENTCOM retaliated by permanently disabling the tankers M/T Downy near Kharg Island, M/T Stark 1 near Jask, and destroying the empty M/T Kylo (Noxen) in the Gulf of Oman after its crew evacuated. The tankers were identified through successive updates Saturday evening. Cooper initially warned: "If you fire on our two ships, we will destroy three of yours." Iranian state media Tasnim confirmed four munitions struck a tanker near Kharg Island, though independent verification is pending.
The strikes near Kharg Island — through which roughly 90% of Iran's crude exports once passed — are particularly significant. The broader U.S. campaign against IRGC maritime assets has escalated over recent months. As The Zioneer reported, U.S. forces struck 90 Iranian targets on July 8 and 80 targets on July 7, targeting air defense, coastal monitoring, and naval logistics. In late June, CENTCOM launched strikes after an IRGC drone attack on a commercial tanker. The "tanker for tanker" policy now extends to directly targeting Iran's oil revenue infrastructure.
Iran later claimed it retaliated against additional tankers and U.S.-linked vessels, but those reports remain unverified and no independent confirmation has emerged.
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