The United States military confirmed Tuesday (September 8) that it struck five Iranian crude oil tankers after Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) launched ballistic missiles at two American warships on consecutive days — the latest escalation in a conflict that began more than six months ago.

According to ABC News, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed its forces "permanently disabled" multiple Iranian oil tankers and "completely destroyed" others after the IRGC targeted a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier and a guided-missile destroyer with ballistic missiles over two consecutive days. Both warships successfully evaded the missiles, and no American service members were injured.

Al Jazeera reports that the first wave of strikes, carried out Saturday (September 5), targeted three Iranian vessels — the M/T Downy off Kharg Island, the M/T Stark 1 near Jask on the eastern coast of the Strait of Hormuz, and a third unladen tanker, the M/T Kylo, in the Gulf of Oman. CENTCOM said the crew of the M/T Kylo was warned to abandon ship before the strike. The M/T Downy and M/T Stark 1 were permanently disabled, while the M/T Kylo was completely destroyed. Two additional tankers were struck in the days that followed, bringing the total to five.

Admiral Brad Cooper, the CENTCOM commander, was direct about the intent behind the strikes. "If you shoot at two of our ships, we will impose an even higher economic cost — taking out three of yours," Cooper said. "We will not hesitate to defend American forces, and if necessary, destroy Iran's limited and exposed oil fleet."

CENTCOM said the targeted tankers were part of what it described as a multibillion-dollar shadow shipping network used to fund the IRGC and its regional allies. Iran has long relied on a shadow fleet to move oil and sidestep international sanctions, a practice that became more critical after the U.S. began blockading Iranian ports in April.

Iran pushed back sharply. The IRGC said it had struck three oil tankers traveling through what it called an "unauthorized route" in the Strait of Hormuz, along with three vessels it linked to the United States in other areas. The IRGC navy warned all ships in the Persian Gulf to "refrain from any suspicious movement aimed at transiting unauthorized waterways," adding, "Otherwise, you will be targeted."

Michael Berry