U.S. forces on Tuesday destroyed five Iranian crude oil tankers after the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps targeted a U.S. Navy warship with ballistic missiles twice over the past two days, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said early on Wednesday.
The U.S. warship successfully evaded both Iranian attacks and continued to patrol regional waters. No American personnel were injured, according to the CENTCOM statement.
In response, CENTCOM destroyed the IRGC-linked crude oil carriers M/T Kaviz, M/T Charminar, M/T Horizon 1 and M/T Riesco in the Gulf of Oman, as well as M/T Derya near Kharg Island.
U.S. forces directed the crews to abandon the vessels before striking them and rendering them inoperable.
CENTCOM forces destroyed five Iranian crude oil carriers, Sept. 8, after the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) targeted a U.S. Navy warship with ballistic missiles twice over the past two days. The U.S. warship successfully evaded the attempted Iranian attacks and… pic.twitter.com/Gi8a2tloN1
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) September 8, 2026
“Iran has used the tankers as part of a multibillion-dollar shadow network that funds the IRGC and its regional proxies. Iran has no means by which to defend these vessels,” said CENTCOM.
Iran attacks U.S. forces in Jordan
Jordan’s air defenses intercepted 18 of 20 ballistic missiles fired from Iran toward the kingdom overnight Tuesday, with the remaining two falling in unpopulated areas and no casualties reported, a Jordanian army spokesperson told Amman’s official Petra News Agency.
The Jordan Armed Forces said specialized teams were securing sites where missile debris and shrapnel had fallen and warned residents not to approach unidentified fragments. The military said its surveillance, early-warning and air-defense systems remained on heightened readiness for further threats.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said the missiles targeted a U.S. military base near Al-Azraq in retaliation for the U.S. strikes on the tankers. The IRGC claimed the barrage targeted shelters and hangars used for F-35, F-16 and F-15 aircraft and caused heavy damage, a claim that Jordan did not confirm.
The IRGC said it targeted 10 ships in the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday, including two U.S. vessels and eight oil tankers, according to Tehran’s state-run IRNA news agency.
The IRGC said these attacks, too, were retaliation for the oil tankers’ destruction. The Iranian military claimed the U.S. vessels and tankers suffered significant damage, but at the time of publication, this had not been independently confirmed.
On Sept. 5, CENTCOM forces destroyed three Iranian crude oil vessels after the IRGC attempted to attack a U.S. aircraft carrier and guided-missile destroyer.
Iran will keep losing oil tankers as long as it tries to strike U.S. naval vessels, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters on Tuesday during a visit to Colombia.
“Iran continues to try to hit U.S. naval ships,” Rubio said in response to a question. “For every time they do that or try to do that, they’re going to lose tankers.” He added that he expected to “see that again today.”
SECRETARY RUBIO: Iran continues to try to hit U.S. naval ships, and every time they try to do that, they're going to lose tankers. pic.twitter.com/IFo46Vh9GR
— Department of State (@StateDept) September 8, 2026
“Iran will not have a nuclear weapon,” U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday, per the pool report.
With regard to the upcoming 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, he said the United States will do “everything in our power” to make sure such an attack never recurs.
“It was a day like no other,” he said.
The Trump administration said on Tuesday that it sanctioned 27 Iranian airlines “for supporting Iran’s aviation sector, which the regime uses to move weapons, personnel and illicit cargo.”
“Today’s action also targeted covert front companies, foreign intermediaries and deceptive trans-shipment routes that Iran relies on to obtain U.S.-origin aircraft and sensitive technology,” the U.S Treasury Department stated. It added that it was issuing an alert “asking financial institutions to report procurement networks supporting Iran’s aviation industry.”
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stated that “under Operation Economic Outcast, we promised severe consequences for those providing financial lifelines to the Iranian regime.”
“Today, we followed through on that promise with sanctions on companies that continue to support Mahan Air,” he said. “Let this be a warning to anyone doing business with Iran’s remaining airlines, all of which we sanctioned today. You are at risk of being cut off from the global financial system.”
