US forces attacked five Iranian oil tankers on Tuesday, sinking one, after Tehran twice targeted an American warship, US Central Command (Centcom) said.
Centcom said the strikes hit four tankers in the Gulf of Oman linked to Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), along with another vessel near Kharg Island, a major oil export hub off Iran’s coast.
US and Iranian Attacks Escalate
The latest exchange followed a missile attack by Iran on an American base in Jordan. Centcom said the response to its maritime operations came after Iran twice targeted a US vessel.
Jordan said it shot down 18 of the 20 Iranian missiles, with the remaining two falling in unpopulated areas, according to a Jordanian Armed Forces spokesperson.
Iran said its attack involved missiles and that it targeted two US vessels and eight oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz. State media reported that Iran’s Revolutionary Guards added that it had also hit 10 “non-compliant vessels” attempting to move through the waterway.
Strikes Near Kharg Island
Centcom later identified one of the ships struck as the M/T Riesco, which it said sank in the Gulf of Oman. Centcom posted video on X showing damage to the vessel.
Kharg Island hosts Iran’s main terminal for crude exports. Pipes from the mainland feed the island’s facilities, and Centcom said one of the tanker attacks in Tuesday’s round took place near Kharg Island.
The exchange comes more than six months after the US and Israel launched attacks on Iran on 28 February, and follows a series of tit-for-tat strikes that have intensified in the past week.
Oil Markets React
Oil prices rose in Asia trading. Brent crude was up by 1.5% at $99.35 (£73.35) a barrel, while US-traded oil gained 1.3% to $94.23.
The pressure on prices has been increased by wider regional instability, including fighting around shipping routes in the Middle East.
On Tuesday, Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis attacked energy facilities and civilian infrastructure in Saudi Arabia, injuring 73 people, Saudi authorities said. The drone and missile strikes caused fires at oil installations and led to a temporary halt in operations, the Saudi military and energy ministry said.
US Justifies the Tanker Attacks
In its explanation for Tuesday’s strikes, the US said the targeted tankers were “part of a multi-billion-dollar shadow network” used to fund the IRGC and its regional allies.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters that the situation was “pretty straightforward”, adding that Iran was trying to hit US naval ships and that, in return, Iranian tankers would be targeted.
Centcom said no American troops were harmed during the recent US-linked attacks and that ballistic missiles fired at a US warship were “successfully evaded”.
Submarine Claim and Drone Details
The escalation also came after Iran’s navy said it had seized an uncrewed US submarine in the Strait of Hormuz.
US Navy Captain Tim Hawkins, a Centcom spokesperson, said the “underwater drone operated by US forces malfunctioned more than a day ago” and was used to survey regional waters as part of “ongoing operations”. He said the defective device was an older model and did not collect sensitive data or carry classified sonar or radar equipment.
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9 September 2026
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