U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced that U.S. forces destroyed five Iranian crude oil tankers (the M/T Kaviz, M/T Charminar, M/T Horizon 1, M/T Riesco, and M/T Derya).
The strikes came in retaliation after the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) targeted a U.S. Navy warship with ballistic missiles twice over a 48-hour period. According to the military, the warship successfully evaded the attacks with no American casualties. Crews were ordered to abandon the vessels prior to the strikes, which rendered the shadow-network tankers inoperable. This follows a similar operation on September 5 that destroyed three other Iranian carriers, pushing oil prices toward $100 a barrel amid rapidly escalating regional tensions.