US destroys five Iranian oil tankers in Gulf of Oman and near Kharg Island

CENTCOM said US forces destroyed five IRGC-linked crude carriers -- M/T Kaviz, M/T Charminar, M/T Horizon 1 and M/T Riesco in the Gulf of Oman, and M/T Derya near Kharg Island -- after Iran twice targeted a US Navy warship with ballistic missiles over the preceding two days. The M/T Riesco reportedly sank; no US personnel were harmed.

Why this matters. It marks the largest single-day destruction of Iranian tanker capacity of the war, directly removing crude-carrying capacity from the market and raising the odds of a broader shipping shutdown through the Strait of Hormuz.