# US hits three Iranian oil tankers after saying its warships were targeted

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/us-hits-three-iranian-oil-tankers-after-saying-its-warships-were-targeted/
- Published: 2026-09-06T03:37:04+00:00
- Updated: 2026-09-06T09:42:54+00:00
- Original publisher: BBC World (publisher lean: Centre)
- Original article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cj64rrne643o?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss
- Topics: Americas, Middle East, World

## Key points

- US and Iran exchanged tanker and warship strikes amid escalating six-month war
- US disabled/destroyed three Iran-linked tankers; no casualties reported
- Iran hit six vessels in response, including three near Strait of Hormuz

## Summary

The US and Iran traded further blows at sea, escalating their six-month conflict after a week of renewed fighting following a month of relative calm. The US military said it "permanently disabled" two Iran-linked oil tankers and "completely destroyed" a third, while US Central Command said it acted after Iranian forces fired on an American aircraft carrier and guided-missile destroyer, both of which evaded the attacks unharmed with no US casualties. Iran retaliated by striking six vessels in total, according to state media, prompting Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth to warn that further Iranian attacks on US ships would be met with more tanker strikes.

Iranian outlet Irib reported no casualties from the US strike near Kharg Island, the terminal handling roughly 90% of Iran's crude exports, where onboard systems reportedly extinguished the resulting fire within an hour; crews from two further tankers hit in the Gulf of Oman were evacuated by lifeboat. Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps said it hit three oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz for using an "unauthorised" route, plus three vessels described as US-affiliated. The strait, vital to global oil and gas supplies, has been effectively closed since the war began, though President Trump insisted it remained "open" and downplayed the conflict as "small potatoes". Iran had already struck US-linked targets in the UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan earlier in the week, while separate Iranian claims that a US strike killed civilians, including two children, at a wedding remain under investigation by Washington.

## Coverage

- [BBC World: US hits three Iranian oil tankers after saying its warships were targeted](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cj64rrne643o?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss)
- [Daily Mail: US obliterates three Iranian oil carriers after their ballistic missiles targeted American warships](https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-16107695/US-Iran-oil-carriers-ballistic-missiles-warships.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&ito=1490)
- [NPR: US military hits 3 Iranian oil tankers after saying Navy warships were targeted](https://www.npr.org/2026/09/05/nx-s1-5959159/us-iran-warships-targeted)
- [HuffPost: U.S. Military Hits 3 Iranian Oil Tankers After Saying Navy Warships Were Targeted With Missiles](https://www.huffpost.com/entry/ap-ml-iran-us_n_6a9c1fb3e4b09baa005e2e86)

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.