The USA bomb three Iranian oil tankers in response to attacks against military vessels

BarcelonaThe United States military attacked three Iranian oil tankers this Saturday, according to the Central Command (Centcom) in a statement, in which it justified the action as a response to attacks by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard against two US warships patrolling the region's waters. This episode of cross-attacks represents an escalation of the conflict, which remains deadlocked after more than half a year.

According to the US version, a US aircraft carrier and a missile destroyer "have been able to successfully evade multiple Iranian attacks" with missiles, and no US personnel have been injured. The head of Centcom, Brad Cooper, sent a threatening message to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard: "If you shoot at two of our ships, we will impose an even higher economic cost on you: we will destroy three of yours".

Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, joined the threat with a message on X. "It's simple: if Iran attacks US ships, we will destroy (and sink) their oil tankers", he wrote, and asserted that the Iranian regime "has no navy or air force".

The US has claimed that it has "permanently disabled" a ship off the coast of Kharg, another near the city of Jesaq, and that it has "totally destroyed" a third oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman after ordering the crew to abandon the vessel. They added that all three were part of the "shadow fleet" that funds the Iranian regime. Washington claims that Tehran is trying to evade US sanctions and naval blockades by turning off the telecommunications systems of Iranian ships, which then pass through the Strait of Hormuz as part of a ghost fleet to end up exporting to China.

Before this statement, Iranian media had reported that the US had attacked an oil tanker with four missiles near the island of Kharg, the main oil terminal of the Persian country. Later, the Iranian network IRIB also reported two more attacks near the city of Jesaq, in the south of the country. In all three cases, the crew was evacuated.

According to Al-Jazeera, satellite images analyzed by TankerTrackers.com confirm that the supertanker Downy, from the National Iranian Oil Company, has been attacked. The group also cites sources reporting that another tanker from the state company was attacked off the coast of Kuh-e Mobarak, in the south of the country. In both cases, the ships were not loaded.

Alert in the region

The bombings occur after the United States launched its toughest attacks in a month against Iran this week, which caused at least nineteen deaths. The Islamic Republic responded with bombings against Kuwait, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.

This Saturday, the US embassy in Bahrain issued a security alert urging Americans in the region to "exercise heightened vigilance." "The US embassy reminds US citizens that Iran has previously attacked civilian infrastructure in Bahrain, including hotels in Al-Manama," says the statement, which also warns that flight cancellations, airspace closures, and travel disruptions may occur.

Objective: economic impact

Kharg Island has been one of the targets of American attacks during the war against Iran. Before the war, the oil facilities located here processed approximately 90% of Iran's energy exports. Donald Trump even said in June that he wanted to take control of this island, something he later ruled out. This Monday, he posted on his social network saying that Kharg Island is being "torn to shreds," accompanied by a video generated with artificial intelligence. Iranian authorities have promised a forceful response if this area is attacked.

In the last few hours, the US president has also threatened again to attack Pickaxe Mountain, a fortified facility located near the Natanz uranium enrichment complex, a highly protected underground facility that was allegedly attacked in June of last year by the US and Israel.