US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has warned Iran that the US will destroy and sink Iranian oil tankers if Tehran attacks US Navy ships, saying, “All they have to do is not shoot at” the US Navy, as tensions between Washington and Tehran intensified across the region. Meanwhile, Iran’s IRGC said it attacked a US aircraft carrier and destroyer with ballistic missiles, but there was no immediate confirmation from the US.
US THREATENS TO TARGET IRANIAN OIL TANKERS
Hegseth issued the warning in a post on X while quoting US Central Command commander Admiral Brad Cooper, who said Iran would face a higher economic cost if it attacked American vessels.
“It’s simple: if Iran shoots at U.S. ships, we will destroy (and sink) their oil tankers. All they have to do is not shoot at @USNavy,” Hegseth said.
Cooper separately warned that if the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps attacked two US ships, American forces would respond by “taking out three” Iranian vessels. He said the US would not hesitate to defend its forces and, if necessary, destroy Iran’s “limited and exposed oil fleet”.
US STRIKES THREE IRANIAN OIL TANKERS
The warnings followed a US strike on three Iranian oil tankers on Saturday, including one near Kharg Island, Iran’s main oil export hub, according to US Central Command.
CENTCOM said the strikes came after Iran’s IRGC launched ballistic missiles at two US Navy ships. No American personnel were harmed, it said.
Iran’s IRGC Navy had earlier warned vessels in the Persian Gulf and near the Strait of Hormuz against what it described as suspicious movements. The force said it had targeted three oil tankers travelling through unauthorised routes in the Strait of Hormuz, along with three additional US vessels in other areas.
There was no immediate confirmation from the US regarding the Iranian claims.
IRAN THREATENS STRONGER ATTACKS
Iran responded to the US strikes and threats by warning that attacks against US military vessels in the region could become more severe.
Iran’s military command said that if what it described as the harassment of Iranian ships and the naval blockade continued, Iranian attacks against US military vessels would be “more severe than before” and could expand.
Iranian semi-official news agency Tasnim also reported that four US missiles struck a tanker near Kharg’s anchorage. Citing local sources, it said there were no casualties and the tanker’s crew was being evacuated.
KHARG ISLAND REMAINS A KEY FLASHPOINT
The latest escalation comes amid mounting US pressure on Iran’s oil industry. US President Donald Trump said on August 31 in a social media post accompanied by an AI-generated video that Kharg Island was being “blown to smithereens”.
Iranian authorities have warned of a strong response if Kharg Island is attacked.
Iran is the third-largest producer in the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and had exported around 90% of its crude through Kharg Island before the war. Oil flows have since been disrupted following a US blockade of Iranian oil exports that began in mid-April.
Trump had also said on June 11 that he wanted to take over Kharg Island, but later said a threatened US military operation there was off the table for the time being.
The US blockade of Iranian ports followed Iran’s effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial waterway that carried about one-fifth of global oil supplies before the war.
OIL PRICES RISE ON SUPPLY CONCERNS
The escalating confrontation has added to concerns over global energy supplies and shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
Brent crude futures closed at $96.28 a barrel on Friday, their highest level since July 24, as heightened tensions in the Middle East fuelled fears of further disruptions to oil supplies.
– Ends
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