Tehran/Berlin, Sept 7. (dpa/GNA) – The US military struck three Iranian crude oil carriers on Saturday, stating that this was a response to missiles launched at two US naval patrols by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
“A US aircraft carrier and guided-missile destroyer successfully evaded multiple unprovoked Iranian attacks. No American personnel were harmed,” regional command CENTCOM said in a statement.
Following the Iranian attacks, the US military “permanently disabled” two oil tankers, and “completely destroyed” a third, CENTCOM said.
“The three Iranian crude oil tankers are part of a multibillion-dollar shadow network that funds the IRGC and its regional proxies. Iran has no means by which to defend them,” CENTCOM said. “Let the message to the IRGC be clear: If you shoot at two of our ships, we will impose an even higher economic cost -taking out three of yours,” said Admiral Brad Cooper, CENTCOM commander, according to the statement.
In a later update, CENTCOM said one of the tankers had sunk due to the “precision and professionalism” of US service members.
The M/T Kylo had “joined Iran’s navy at the bottom of the sea,” CENTCOM said. The tanker was not carrying oil, according to the statement.
A video clip released by the US military, initially appeared to show the hit vessel listing, before it sank. CENTCOM’s comments followed Iranian media reports of explosions near the strategically important island of Kharg in the Gulf, where the bulk of the country’s oil exports are handled.
Iran’s Tasnim news agency said four US missiles struck an Iranian oil tanker around 11 kilometres off the coast of the island. There were no casualties, and the crew were evacuating the ship, the report said. According to the Iranian news agency ISNA, a small vessel was hit.
Kharg is the most important hub for Tehran’s crude oil exports, with more than 90% of these believed to transit through the island’s facilities.
GNA