US military says three Iranian tankers struck in Gulf

The United States military said Saturday its forces had struck three Iranian crude oil carriers, after the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) launched ballistic missiles toward two US Navy warships.

There was no immediate response from Iran, but state media earlier said that the US had attacked a tanker near the vital oil hub, Kharg Island.

“A U.S. aircraft carrier and guided-missile destroyer successfully evaded multiple unprovoked Iranian attacks,” the statement from US Central Command said. Following Iran’s failed attacks, “CENTCOM permanently disabled the IRGC crude oil carriers M/T Downy off the coast of Kharg Island and M/T Stark 1 near Jask.”

“American forces also completely destroyed the unladen crude oil carrier M/T Kylo (also known as the “Noxen”) in the Gulf of Oman, striking the vessel in multiple critical locations to render it inoperable after the crew was directed to abandon ship,” CENTCOM added.

It said the three vessels “are part of a multibillion-dollar shadow network that funds the IRGC and its regional proxies.”

“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 Adm. Brad Cooper, the CENTCOM commander.

Earlier Saturday, Iranian news agencies said that a tanker came under missile attack by US forces near Kharg Island.

The two sides traded strikes earlier this week for the first time in over a month.

The tanker, which was in the anchorage area, was hit by four projectiles fired by US forces, Tasnim reported. There were no casualties and the tanker’s crew members were in the process of evacuating the vessel, the agency added.

Audio confirmed by CNN showed that a US military aircraft issued warnings to the ship via an emergency channel. In one, an American-accented voice says: “Motor Tanker STARK 1, this is the United States military aircraft. I am preparing to fire at your stern. You have 10 minutes to clear the crew from the stern of your ship. Over.”

In a later exchange, the ship is warned: “This was your final warning… get into your lifeboats and abandon the ship immediately.”

In between, according to audio heard by CNN, someone purportedly on the same ship asks the aircraft to stop firing, adding: “We are already destroyed.”

The Stark One was last shown by ship tracking data near Kharg island a week ago. MarineTraffic, a shipping data resource, shows the vessel was built in 2000 and has a carrying capacity of 159,681 tonnes.

The conflict between Iran and the United States is in a volatile limbo, with both battling for control over the vital Strait of Hormuz, which is critical for global oil supplies.

Kharg Island, a coral outcrop off Iran’s coast, has typically handled roughly 90% of the country’s crude oil exports. The island has been attacked throughout the conflict and US President Donald Trump has previously threatened to capture it.

On Thursday, US Vice President JD Vance denied the conflict should even be described as a “war,” adding that despite the recent flare-up there was “no active shooting.”

He also refused to lay out a timetable for ending the conflict, suggesting instead it was up to Iran to conclude the conflict that began with joint US-Israeli airstrikes six months ago.

美国军方周六表示，在伊朗伊斯兰革命卫队（IRGC）向两艘美国海军军舰发射弹道导弹后，美军袭击了三艘伊朗原油运输船。

伊朗方面没有立即作出回应，但伊朗国家媒体早些时候报道称，美国袭击了位于重要石油枢纽哈尔格岛附近的一艘油轮。

美国中央司令部发表声明称，“一艘美国航空母舰和一艘导弹驱逐舰成功躲避了伊朗多次无端袭击。” 在伊朗袭击失败后，“中央司令部永久性地使伊朗伊斯兰革命卫队原油运输船“唐尼”号（M/T Downy）在哈尔格岛附近海域和“斯塔克1”号（M/T Stark 1）在贾斯克附近海域失去动力。”

美国中央司令部补充说：“美军还在阿曼湾彻底摧毁了未装载原油的运输船 M/T Kylo（又名“诺克森”），击中该船的多个关键部位，使其无法运行，此前船员已被命令弃船。”

声明称，这三艘船“是为伊朗伊斯兰革命卫队及其地区代理人提供资金的数十亿美元影子网络的一部分”。

“向伊朗伊斯兰革命卫队传达的信息很明确：如果你们攻击我们的两艘舰艇，我们将给你们造成更大的经济损失——击沉你们的三艘舰艇，”中央司令部司令布拉德·库珀海军上将说道。

周六早些时候，伊朗新闻机构称，一艘油轮在哈尔格岛附近遭到美军导弹袭击。

本周早些时候，双方一个月来首次互有攻击。

据塔斯尼姆通讯社报道，这艘停泊在锚地的油轮遭到美军发射的四枚炮弹击中。该通讯社补充说，没有人员伤亡，油轮船员正在撤离。

CNN确认的音频显示，一架美国军用飞机通过紧急频道向该船发出警告。其中一段录音中，一个带有美国口音的声音说道：“斯塔克1号油轮，这里是美国军用飞机。我准备向你的船尾开火。你有10分钟时间让船员撤离船尾。完毕。”

在随后的对话中，船上的人警告说：“这是最后一次警告……立刻登上救生艇弃船。”

据 CNN 听到的录音显示，期间有人（据称是同一艘船上的人）要求飞机停止射击，并补充说：“我们已经被摧毁了。”

根据船舶追踪数据，斯塔克一号最后一次出现在哈尔格岛附近是在一周前。航运数据资源网站MarineTraffic的数据显示，该船建于2000年，载重吨位为159,681吨。

伊朗和美国之间的冲突处于动荡的僵局，双方都在争夺对全球石油供应至关重要的霍尔木兹海峡的控制权。

哈尔格岛是伊朗海岸附近的一座珊瑚礁岛屿，通常承担着该国约90%的原油出口。在冲突期间，该岛屡遭袭击，美国总统唐纳德·特朗普此前也曾威胁要占领该岛。

周四，美国副总统 JD Vance 否认这场冲突应该被描述为“战争”，并补充说，尽管最近冲突有所升级，但“没有发生枪击事件”。

他还拒绝给出结束冲突的时间表，而是暗示结束这场始于六个月前美以联合空袭的冲突应由伊朗自行决定。