U.S. military forces destroyed five Iranian crude oil tankers Sept. 8, officials said, the latest in an escalating round of exchanges between the United States and Iran.
The strikes targeted five tankers linked to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, according to U.S. Central Command, the arm of the military overseeing operations in the Middle East. Central Command shared footage of the strikes showing the aft, or rear, part of the massive non-military vessels.
Central Command footage of the strikes shows missiles hitting the ships and leaving them in flames. Four of the tankers were located in the Gulf of Oman. The other tanker was in the Persian Gulf near Kharg Island, a well-known Iranian oil depot President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened to attack.
U.S. forces targeted the vessels in response to two Iranian attacks on a Navy vessel over the past two days, according to Central Command.
Military authorities said they issued a warning to crews beforehand, telling them to abandon ship. It’s unclear if anyone was still aboard the vessels.
According to Iranian state media, IRGC forces responded by attacking U.S. military targets. The Pentagon referred questions about the purported attacks to Central Command. Iranian media reported the attacks caused significant damage.
The attacks come amid escalating hostilities between the United States and Iran and as the price for Brent crude oil approaches $100 a barrel again.
The price of Brent crude is considered the benchmark for the state of the oil markets. Rising Brent prices are followed by rising gas prices, data from GasBuddy, a fuel price tracking site, shows.
Across the United States, the average price for a gallon of gas Sept. 8 was $4.19, according to the site. That’s up 9 cents from the day before.
Average prices were up nearly 20 cents compared with August and up $1 compared to a year ago.
What to know about targeted vessels
The tankers U.S. forces targeted were M/T Kaviz, M/T Charminar, M/T Horizon 1 and M/T Riesco, located in the Gulf of Oman, and M/T Derya, located near Kharg Island, military officials said.
According to Central Command, the vessels were targeted because of their role in helping move Iranian oil out of the region.
Iran has long relied on its massive oil reserves. Trump administration officials hope that by crippling the country’s economy, they can force Iranian leaders to surrender.
TankerTrackers, a company that monitors global marine oil shipments, said the five vessels have exported from Iran a combined 45 million barrels of crude oil and other products since May 2019.
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Previous US military strikes
American forces also struck two Iranian tankers on Sept. 5. Those earlier strikes came in response to an Iranian attack on a Navy vessel as well, military officials said.
The latest escalation began Aug. 30 after nearly a month-long pause in the fighting. U.S. officials said American forces struck Iranian military personnel who were preparing to set mines in the Strait of Hormuz.
IRGC forces responded by launching an attack on U.S. air bases in Jordan with ballistic missiles, Iranian media reported.
Contributing by USA TODAY Trending News Reporter James Powel.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: US strikes Iran, destroys 5 oil tankers amid escalating war
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