After the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) attacked two US military vessels, the US military retaliated by destroying three Iranian oil tankers on Saturday, September 5th. US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth sternly warned Iran not to attack US ships, or else their tankers would face destruction.
Hegseth reposted a warning from US Central Command Commander Brad Cooper on the social media platform X, further cautioning Iran: “It’s simple: if Iran attacks US ships, we will destroy (and sink) their tankers. The only thing they need to do is not open fire on the US Navy.”
The Secretary of Defense also stated that Iran’s tanker fleet is “completely defenseless” as the Iranian regime no longer has a navy or air force capable of protecting their tankers. US warplanes, warships, and submarines have the capability to strike Iranian tankers in the areas under the jurisdiction of US Central Command and Indo-Pacific Command.
Prior to Hegseth’s warning, US Central Command issued a statement saying that two US vessels on patrol (an aircraft carrier and a missile destroyer) successfully evaded multiple Iranian attacks without any US casualties. In response, Central Command sank three Iranian oil tankers.
Iran’s Tasnim news agency, associated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, confirmed that on Saturday morning, a US military attack targeted an Iranian oil tanker near the island of Harq. Tasnim news agency cited a reporter from Iran’s state TV station in Jask, reporting that the US military also attacked two other oil tankers in the nearby waters, with one of them carrying oil.
US Central Command Commander Cooper made a statement on the X platform, saying, “We send a clear message to the IRGC of Iran: should you attack our two vessels, we will make you pay a higher economic price — by destroying three of your tankers.”