Key facts
- U.S. forces struck three Iranian oil tankers on Saturday.
- The strikes followed Iran's launch of ballistic missiles at two U.S. Navy ships.
- No U.S. personnel were harmed.
- U.S. Central Command confirmed the actions and stated the tankers funded Iran's Revolutionary Guard.
- Two Iranian tankers were disabled and one was destroyed.
U.S. forces struck three Iranian oil tankers on Saturday after Iran launched ballistic missiles at two U.S. Navy ships, U.S. Central Command announced. The military stated that two Iranian oil carriers were permanently disabled and a third, unladen one, was destroyed. No U.S. personnel were harmed in the exchange, which the U.S. described as a response to "unprovoked Iranian attacks." The statement added that the tankers were part of a network funding Iran’s Revolutionary Guard and its armed proxies. Earlier, Iran had accused the U.S. of attacking an Iranian tanker near Kharg Island in the Persian Gulf. The U.S. said one tanker was struck off Kharg Island and another near Jask, with the unladen tanker hit in the Gulf of Oman. U.S. Central Command head Adm. Brad Cooper warned, "We will not hesitate to defend American forces, and if necessary, destroy Iran’s limited and exposed oil fleet."