After US strike at Kharg Island, Iran claims attacks on 3 oil tankers, US-linked ships
US says that, if necessary, it can destroy Iran’s oil fleet; Iran says it would counter-escalate by targeting US refining facilities and terminals
Marking a significant escalation in hostilities, the US and Iran on Saturday (September 5) exchanged fire in and around the waters of Iran. Iran claimed that it had struck three US-affiliated vessels and three oil tankers that were using an “unauthorised” route in the Strait of Hormuz soon after the US military said it hit three Iranian oil tankers near Iran’s Kharg Island.
The two countries have been targeting one another for the past week after a month of relative calm.
US attack in Kharg Island
According to the US military statement, the three Iranian tankers were part of a shadow network helping to fund Iran's powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and its armed proxies in the region.
Iranian state TV said earlier that four US missiles struck a tanker about 6 miles (10 kilometres) from Kharg Island, home to a terminal through which the country exports most of its oil. It said there were no casualties.
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Kharg Island has been repeatedly targeted during the war, including US strikes on military sites there in March.
The US military said that an American aircraft carrier and a destroyer evaded “multiple unprovoked Iranian attacks” while patrolling in the region and no US personnel were hurt.
Pete Hegseth’s warning
After the first round of attacks by Iran, US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, in a social media post, issued a warning to Tehran that if its army shoots at US ships, the latter will “destroy and sink their oil tankers. All they have to do is not shoot at the US.”
The US Central Command says the IRGC in the first wave of attacks launched multiple ballistic missiles at two of US warships – an aircraft carrier and a guided missile destroyer. It, however, said that both vessels evaded the attacks and no personnel were hurt.
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It also said that the US, in retaliation, targeted three Iranian vessels – while two were disabled, the third was destroyed.
“Let the message to the IRGC be clear: If you shoot at two of our ships, we will impose an even higher economic cost —taking out three of yours. We will not hesitate to defend American forces, and if necessary, destroy Iran’s limited and exposed oil fleet,” the US Central Command said in a post on X attributing it to Adm. Brad Cooper.
Prepare for rapid re-escalation: IRGC
Iran responded with a tart reply, stating that Iran would counter-escalate if necessary, beginning it with targeting refining facilities and terminals, if the US doesn’t lift the naval blockade and cease to attack Iranian tankers.
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“If US refuse to lift naval blockade and attacks Iranian tankers as Iran asserts sovereignty over Strait in wartime, then Iran should counter-escalate if necessary. Hit refining facilities and terminals. FOTT would be a good start. Prepare for rapid and spiralling re-escalation. Raise the temperature on world economy. Crashing it before November would practically guarantee Trump getting wiped out in elections,” IRGC said in a post on X.