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 in 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, an American aircraft carrier and a guided-missile destroyer "were able to successfully dodge multiple Iranian attacks" with missiles, and no US personnel were 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: 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 assured that the Iranian regime "has no navy or air force".

The Iranian military has responded that attacks against US military vessels in the region will intensify if Washington continues the siege on the Persian country's ports, and it has also warned that Iranian attacks could expand if Washington maintains the "harassment" of the country's vessels. Hours later, it claimed to have attacked three vessels linked to the United States and three tankers that were traveling along an "unauthorized" route in the Strait of Hormuz.

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

Before this statement, Iranian media had reported that the US had attacked a tanker near the island of Kharg with four missiles, 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, of the National Iranian Oil Company, has been attacked. The group also cites sources reporting that another tanker of the state company has been attacked off the coast of Kuh-e Mobarak, in the south of the country. In both cases, the vessels 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," the statement says, 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 left "in ruins," 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 supposedly attacked in June of last year by the US and Israel.