CENTCOM says U.S. struck five Iranian tankers after warship missile attempts
CENTCOM says five Iranian carriers were rendered inoperable after missile attempts at a Navy warship, while Iranian TV reported crew evacuations.
By Maya Okafor · Markets Writer
· 3 min read
CENTCOM Iranian tankers strikes are the latest escalation around the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for oil shipments. U.S. Central Command said its forces struck five Iranian crude-oil carriers on Sept. 8 after Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps targeted a U.S. Navy warship with ballistic missiles twice over the preceding two days.
The account is the U.S. military’s and has not been independently verified in the material available. Iranian state television did report U.S. attacks on tankers near Jask and Kharg Island, and said their crews had been evacuated, according to an Associated Press report republished by Oregon Public Broadcasting.
For investors, the immediate concern is the risk to shipping in and around the Strait of Hormuz. AP reported that about one-fifth of the world’s oil passed through the waterway before the war began. Disruptions or threats to traffic there can affect the flow of crude to global markets.
Which Iranian tankers did CENTCOM say it struck?
CENTCOM identified four vessels in the Gulf of Oman, M/T Kaviz, M/T Charminar, M/T Horizon 1 and M/T Riesco. It said the fifth, M/T Derya, was near Kharg Island.
The Associated Press report carried by OPB listed the first ship as “Kivik,” rather than “Kaviz.” CENTCOM’s formal release uses “Kaviz,” and the discrepancy has not been resolved in the available reporting.
CENTCOM said the Navy vessel evaded the reported missile attempts, remained on patrol and suffered no U.S. personnel casualties. It said American forces ordered the crews of the five tankers to leave their ships before the strikes, which it said rendered the vessels inoperable.
- M/T Kaviz, listed as “Kivik” in the AP report, Gulf of Oman
- M/T Charminar, Gulf of Oman
- M/T Horizon 1, Gulf of Oman
- M/T Riesco, Gulf of Oman
- M/T Derya, near Kharg Island
What does CENTCOM say the tankers were used for?
CENTCOM alleged that Iran used the vessels in a multibillion-dollar network that funds the Revolutionary Guard and its regional proxy groups. That characterization is an allegation by the U.S. military, not a conclusion independently established by the reporting supplied here.
Iranian state TV’s report provides narrower confirmation of strikes and evacuations. It reported attacks near Jask, on Iran’s southern coast, and in the Kharg Island anchorage area. The available reporting does not establish the tankers’ cargoes, environmental effects, casualties, weapons used or damage beyond CENTCOM’s description.
The Sept. 8 operation was separate from an earlier action on Sept. 5. CENTCOM said it destroyed three Iranian carriers after what it described as an attempted ballistic-missile attack on a U.S. aircraft carrier and guided-missile destroyer. The military identified those vessels as M/T Downy, M/T Stark 1 and M/T Kylo, also called Noxen, according to reporting by Fox San Antonio.
After the Sept. 8 strikes, Iranian state-run media said missiles were launched toward U.S. targets in Jordan, according to AP. Jordan’s military said it intercepted 18 ballistic missiles aimed at its territory, while two others landed in unpopulated areas, with no casualties reported. CENTCOM said it had no information to provide on that report, AP said.
This story draws on original reporting from CNBC.
