Phoenix 24
The confrontation is moving directly into the infrastructure financing Iran’s military power.
PERSIAN GULF
United States forces struck three Iranian oil tankers after the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps allegedly launched ballistic missiles against an American aircraft carrier and a guided-missile destroyer. US Central Command said both warships avoided the attacks and no American personnel were injured. Iranian authorities had not issued a detailed official account of the confrontation at the time of the initial reports.
CENTCOM identified the vessels as the Downy, the Stark 1 and the Kylo, also known as the Noxen. The first tanker was permanently disabled near Kharg Island and the second near Jask, according to the American military. The unladen Kylowas destroyed in the Gulf of Oman after its crew was instructed to abandon the ship.
Iranian state media reported that four US missiles hit a tanker approximately 10 kilometres from Kharg Island. Local sources said the crew was evacuated and no casualties were recorded. Iranian reports subsequently confirmed attacks against two additional vessels, although independent assessments of the ships’ damage were not immediately available.
Washington claims the tankers formed part of a shadow shipping network generating revenue for the Revolutionary Guard and Iran-aligned armed groups. Admiral Brad Cooper, commander of CENTCOM, warned that further attacks on American forces could lead the United States to target more of Iran’s exposed oil fleet. Tehran responded by warning that future strikes against US naval vessels would become more severe if Washington continued interfering with Iranian shipping.
Kharg Island handled approximately 90% of Iran’s crude exports before the current war and remains central to the country’s oil-dependent economy. Targeting vessels near the terminal increases pressure on Tehran without necessarily destroying the island’s export infrastructure, but it also raises the danger of miscalculation around the Strait of Hormuz. With the waterway historically carrying about one-fifth of global oil supplies, attacks on energy assets can transform a military exchange into a worldwide economic shock.
Hechos que no se doblan. / Facts that do not bend.