US strikes five Iranian oil tankers after IRGC targets Navy warship twice, escalating conflict again

The tankers formed part of a multibillion-dollar shadow network funding the IRGC and its regional proxies, the US Central Command said, adding that Iran had no means of defending the vessels. By CNBCTV18.com September 9, 2026, 6:45:21 AM IST (Updated)

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The United States destroyed five Iranian crude oil tankers on Tuesday September 8, after Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) targeted a US Navy warship twice with ballistic missiles over two days, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said. The warship evaded both attacks and continued patrolling regional waters, with no American personnel being harmed, CENTCOM said in an official statement. CENTCOM said the tankers destroyed were M/T Kaviz, M/T Charminar, M/T Horizon 1 and M/T Riesco in the Gulf of Oman, and M/T Derya near Kharg Island.

American forces ordered the crews to abandon ship before striking the vessels, it said. CENTCOM forces destroyed five Iranian crude oil carriers, Sept. 8, after the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) targeted a U.S. Navy warship with ballistic missiles twice over the past two days. The U.S.

warship successfully evaded the attempted Iranian attacks and… pic.twitter.com/Gi8a2tloN1

— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) September 8, 2026 Also Read: Iran says it plans new Gulf ‘exclusion zone’, threatens US with new missiles

The strikes came three days after the US destroyed three other Iranian tankers on September 5, after the IRGC attempted to attack a US aircraft carrier and a guided missile destroyer, with all IRGC attempts against US warships having failed, the statement said. Iran responded to the strikes by firing ballistic missiles at Jordan and issuing warnings to tanker crews near Kuwaiti and Bahraini piers to abandon their vessels immediately, the country’s state television reported, citing the IRGC. Jordan’s Armed Forces said its air defences had intercepted 18 of 20 incoming ballistic missiles, with the remaining two landing in unpopulated areas. The strikes caused no casualties, and specialised teams began securing debris and shrapnel at the impact sites, the statement added. Iran’s armed forces chief of staff, Ali Abdollahi, had earlier warned that Tehran would strike US military installations across the region if its tankers were targeted.

The tankers formed part of a multibillion-dollar shadow network funding the IRGC and its regional proxies, CENTCOM said, adding that Iran had no means of defending the vessels. Brent crude moved to near $100 a barrel following the strikes near Kharg Island which is a key crude-export hub, while West Texas Intermediate traded near $95, signaling towards the investor concerns over the commodity that has extended continuously since the conflict commenced in February this year. The escalation followed fresh attacks by Iran-backed Houthi militants on energy facilities in southern Saudi Arabia, which forced several sites to halt operations, ending a period of relative calm across West Asia. (Edited by : Gautham Krishna)