U.S. forces permanently disabled two Iranian crude oil tankers and destroyed a third on Saturday after the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps launched ballistic missiles toward an American aircraft carrier and guided-missile destroyer, U.S. Central Command announced.
Both Navy warships evaded multiple attacks, and the attacks harmed no American personnel, CENTCOM said. The command did not identify either ship or specify where they were patrolling beyond regional waters.
CENTCOM also released a 44-second public-domain video of the tanker strikes.
Two disabled, one destroyed
American forces permanently disabled M/T Downy off the coast of Kharg Island and M/T Stark 1 near Jask, according to CENTCOM.
The military completely destroyed the unladen M/T Kylo, also known as Noxen, in the Gulf of Oman. The crew received instructions to abandon the ship before U.S. forces struck it in multiple critical locations, the command said.
CENTCOM identified the tankers as part of a multibillion-dollar shadow network that funds the IRGC and its regional proxies.
“We will not hesitate to defend American forces, and if necessary, destroy Iran’s limited and exposed oil fleet,” Adm. Brad Cooper, the CENTCOM commander, said.
U.S. forces had already disabled multiple vessels bound for Iran under the American blockade. In May, CENTCOM said an American aircraft hit a Gambia-flagged bulk carrier with a Hellfire missile after its crew ignored more than 20 warnings, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.
Iran threatens a heavier response
The IRGC later threatened intensified attacks on U.S. military vessels and claimed it targeted three tankers traveling on unauthorized routes through the Strait of Hormuz, along with three U.S.-linked vessels elsewhere, Reuters reported. Reuters did not report independent confirmation of those Iranian claims.
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf escalated the warning on Sunday, saying future attacks would receive a “faster, heavier, and more painful response,” according to a state-run report.
Iran also claimed Sunday that it struck an unmanned U.S. vessel trying to enter the strait. The U.S. military dismissed the claim as “a total lie,” the Associated Press reported.
Texas fuel stakes
Oil and fuel prices had already climbed before the tanker strikes. Brent crude settled at $96.28 per barrel Friday, up 7.6% for the week, while West Texas Intermediate finished at $91.48, up nearly 10%, Reuters reported.
The Friday settlements came before the Saturday exchange, so they do not reflect a market reaction to it. Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz remained far below normal levels, with four commodity vessels transiting Thursday compared with a 10-day average of about 15, according to preliminary shipping data cited in the report.
Texas has major exposure to both sides of the energy market. The state had 34 operating refineries with 6.13 million barrels per day of crude-distillation capacity as of January 1, roughly 34% of U.S. capacity, federal data show. Texas oil leases produced a preliminary 119.5 million barrels of crude in June, or an average of 3.98 million barrels per day, the Railroad Commission of Texas reported.
AAA listed regular gasoline at an average of $3.67 per gallon across Texas on Sunday. Diesel reached a state-record $5.50, while Dallas averages stood at $3.62 for regular gasoline and $5.52 for diesel.
Higher diesel prices affect freight and agriculture because trucks, trains and most farm equipment rely on the fuel, the EIA says.
Crude oil remains the largest component of retail gasoline prices, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. As of 2 p.m. Central on Sunday, the publicly quoted Brent and WTI benchmarks still reflected Friday’s settlements, leaving no measurable post-strike reaction in those prices.
Provided by Dallas Express
