US strikes three Iranian oil tankers after IRGC fires ballistic missiles at Navy warships

US Central Command said Iran's IRGC fired ballistic missiles at a US aircraft carrier and a guided-missile destroyer, both of which evaded the missiles with no personnel injured. In retaliation, US forces struck three IRGC-linked crude oil tankers: M/T Downy was permanently disabled off Kharg Island, M/T Stark 1 was struck near Jask, and the unladen M/T Kylo was hit in the Gulf of Oman and its crew ordered to abandon ship. CENTCOM commander Adm. Brad Cooper said the tankers are part of a multibillion-dollar shadow network funding the IRGC and its proxies, stating: 'If you shoot at two of our ships, we will impose an even higher economic cost — taking out three of yours.'

Why this matters. The strike destroys three tankers in Iran's sanctions-evasion shadow fleet, directly cutting into IRGC oil-revenue financing and marking a sharp escalation after Iran targeted a US carrier group directly rather than allied shipping.