The United States communicated this Saturday that it has destroyed three oil tankers linked to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard in response to the ballistic missile attack against two U.S. warships that were sailing near the Strait of Hormuz.
According to the U.S. Central Command, U.S. forces have "permanently incapacitated" the Revolutionary Guard tankers 'M/T Downy', located near the island of Jarg, and 'M/T Stark 1', situated in the vicinity of Jask. In addition, they have "completely destroyed" the empty tanker 'M/T Kylo', also identified as 'Noxen', in the Gulf of Oman through several impacts on "critically important locations" to render it unusable, after ordering the crew to abandon the ship."
The Pentagon frames this operation as a direct retaliation for the ballistic missile launch carried out by the Revolutionary Guard against two U.S. Navy ships patrolling the region. "A U.S. aircraft carrier and a guided missile destroyer thwarted several unprovoked attacks from Iran. No U.S. military personnel were harmed," explained the U.S. Central Command.
The three targeted tankers were part of the "phantom network" used by Iran to obtain economic resources intended for the Revolutionary Guard, according to the U.S. military statement, which emphasizes that the ships "had no means to defend themselves."
In this context, the commander of the U.S. Armed Forces Central Command, Brad Cooper, has issued a direct warning to Tehran. "Let the message to the Revolutionary Guard be clear: if you fire at two of our ships, we will impose a greater economic cost on you and eliminate three of yours," he stated.
Cooper has insisted that Washington will maintain its firm stance in the area. "We will not hesitate to defend U.S. forces and, if necessary, destroy Iran's limited and vulnerable oil fleet."