US Warships Come Under Missile Fire, Washington Destroys Three Iranian Tankers

The US military announced on Saturday that it had struck three Iranian oil tankers after American navy warships came under missile attack while patrolling the region. According to the Pentagon, a US aircraft carrier and a destroyer avoided multiple "unprovoked" Iranian attacks. No US personnel were injured in the incident.

Two of the targeted Iranian tankers were "permanently disabled," while a third, which was unladen, was destroyed entirely. One strike hit a tanker off Kharg Island, another near Jask, and the unladen vessel was struck in the Gulf of Oman. The US alleges the vessels were part of a shadow network financing Iran's Revolutionary Guards and armed proxy groups across the region.

Adm Brad Cooper, head of US Central Command, said in a statement that the US would not hesitate to defend its forces and, if necessary, would destroy Iran's limited and exposed oil fleet.

Iranian reports and prior events

Before the US announcement, Iran had already reported a strike on a tanker near Kharg Island. Tasnim, a news outlet affiliated with Iran's Revolutionary Guards, said the crew survived and was being evacuated.

The latest strikes came nearly a week after the US and Iran resumed attacks following about a month of relative calm in a conflict that began in February with US and Israeli strikes. Negotiation attempts have since collapsed.

On Tuesday, one strike hit a wedding celebration in southern Iran, killing four people, including a child, and injuring dozens more. US Vice-President JD Vance, asked about American responsibility for the deaths, said "sometimes things happen."

The renewed strikes have also drawn fresh attention to a 28 February attack in Minab, which hit a school compound and killed at least 156 people, most of them schoolchildren. A preliminary US military inquiry reportedly found the strike resulted from a targeting error, with outdated coordinates having identified the school as part of a nearby Revolutionary Guards naval base. A full report on the incident has not yet been made public.