WASHINTON, SEP 4: US forces struck three Iranian crude oil tankers on Saturday after Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) launched ballistic missiles toward two US Navy warships in regional waters, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement.

It said a US aircraft carrier and a guided-missile destroyer evaded multiple Iranian attacks and that no American personnel were harmed.

In response, US forces “permanently disabled” the crude oil carriers M/T Downy off Iran’s Kharg Island and M/T Stark 1 near Jask, according to the statement.

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Earlier on Saturday, Iran’s state-linked Tasnim news agency reported that an Iranian tanker had been struck by four US missiles near the anchorage of Kharg Island, Iran’s key oil export hub in the Gulf.

Tasnim cited local sources as saying there were no casualties and that the tanker’s crew was being evacuated.

CENTCOM said US forces also destroyed the unladen M/T Kylo, also known as the Noxen, in the Gulf of Oman after its crew was instructed to abandon the vessel. The tanker was struck in multiple locations to render it inoperable, it added.

The US military described the three vessels as part of a multibillion-dollar network used to generate revenue for the IRGC and its regional proxies.

“If you shoot at two of our ships, we will impose an even higher economic cost – taking out three of yours,” CENTCOM commander Adm. Brad Cooper said.

“We will not hesitate to defend American forces, and if necessary, destroy Iran’s limited and exposed oil fleet,” he added.

The incident marks the latest escalation between Washington and Tehran amid continuing hostilities in and around the Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf of Oman.