Escalation in the Gulf: US destroys 3 oil tankers linked to Revolutionary Guard Corps
U.S. Central Command stated that the vessels were part of an oil network used to finance the Revolutionary Guard Corps and its regional allies.
U.S. Navy, an F/A-18 Super Hornet
U.S. forces attacked and disabled three Iranian oil tankers linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) after the military organization launched ballistic missiles at two U.S. warships, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) reported on Saturday.
According to the official statement, a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier and a guided-missile destroyer managed to evade the Iranian attacks, and no members of the U.S. forces were injured.
Three oil tankers hit
CENTCOM identified the vessels as the M/T Downy, attacked off the Iranian island of Kharg; the M/T Stark 1, near Jask; and the M/T Kylo, located in the Gulf of Oman.
The latter was empty and was struck in several places after its crew received instructions to abandon ship, according to U.S. military command.
Washington maintains that the three oil tankers were part of a multimillion-dollar clandestine network used to finance the Revolutionary Guard and its allied groups in the region.
"If you shoot at two of our ships, we will impose an even higher economic cost —taking out three of yours," said CENTCOM Commander Admiral Brad Cooper, according to the statement cited by AFP.
New escalation with Iran
Tensions are also concentrated in the Strait of Hormuz, one of the strategic routes for global oil transport, where Iran has threatened and restricted the passage of vessels without its authorization.
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