US Destroys Five Iranian Oil Tankers Near Kharg Island After Missile Attacks On Navy Warship

Washington: Tension between America and Iran has again reached its peak. Direct conflict has started between the two countries in the Arabian Sea. The US Central Command (CENTCOM) said that Iran first tried to attack the American warship twice with a ballistic missile. In response to this, on September 8, America blew up 5 Iranian oil tankers in the sea.

How many Iranian tankers did America blow up?

According to CENTCOM, America targeted 5 crude oil carriers. Four of these tankers – M/T Kaviz, M/T Charminar, M/T Horizon 1 and M/T Riesco – were destroyed in the Gulf of Oman. The fifth tanker, M/T Derya, was hit near Kharg Island. The US claims that before the attack, the crews of all ships were given a direct message to evacuate the ship so that there was no loss of life.

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

Why did Iran attack a US warship?

CENTCOM said Iran's IRGC fired ballistic missiles at a US naval warship twice in the past two days. It was fortunate that both the missiles missed. No American soldiers were injured and the ship was not damaged. The ship is still patrolling the area. America said that the attack on tankers was the answer to this.

Why is America targeting only tankers?

America alleges that Iran is running a 'shadow network' worth billions of dollars with these tankers. IRGC gets money from this black oil trade and then the same money goes to organizations like Hezbollah, Houthi. This is the second major attack on Iran's maritime network in the last 3 days.

Were tankers hit before this also?

Also on September 5, America had destroyed 3 Iranian oil tankers. The IRGC then tried to target an American aircraft carrier and a guided missile destroyer. CENTCOM says that so far all of Iran's efforts have failed

What did Iran do in retaliation?

Iran did not remain silent. According to Iranian state media, the IRGC fired missiles at a US airbase in Jordan and two US destroyers in the sea. IRGC has named this operation 'Ya Haidar Karrar' and said that it is revenge for the tanker attacks.

Which Jordanian base did Iran target?

IRGC claimed that it fired liquid and solid fuel ballistic missiles at Jordan's Al-Azraq airbase. Iran says it targeted the hangars where America's F-35, F-16 and F-15 fighter jets are parked. It has also claimed attacks on America's DDG-119 and DDG-53 warships.

Will the war increase further?

The situation has become very bad due to these continuous attacks. On one side America is bursting tankers, on the other side Iran is firing missiles at American bases. If this continues, the entire Middle East could be engulfed in a major war.