Iranian tankers hit after IRGC ‘attack on US ships’

Iranian tankers hit after IRGC 'attack on US ships'. Agencies Published September 6, 2026 Updated September 6, 2026 07: 35am.

Key points

• The strikes were carried out after Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps introduced ballistic missiles at two US Navy ships, Central Command stated.
• US President Donald Trump remarked on August 31 in a one-line social media post accompanied by an AI-generated video that Kharg Island was being "blown to smithereens".
• In an official note on X, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth remarked that Iran's oil tanker fleet was defenceless after American forces struck three of them today.
• DUBAI: US forces struck three Iranian oil tankers on Saturday, US Central Command remarked, including one off the coast of Kharg Island, near Iran's key oil export hub.
• Tasnim, the semi-official Iranian news agency, documented earlier that four US missiles hit a tanker in the area of Kharg's anchorage.

Iran vows to carry out more severe strikes against military vessels if 'blockade' continues Hegseth notes Tehran's oil tanker fleet 'defenceless' US citizens in Bahrain called on to 'exercise heightened vigilance'.

Meanwhile, the strikes were carried out after Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps introduced ballistic missiles at two US Navy ships, Central Command stated.

"Let the message to the IRGC be clear: If you shoot at two of our ships, we will impose an even higher economic cost – taking out three of yours, " remarked Admiral Brad Cooper, head of US Central Command.

Tasnim, the semi-official Iranian news agency, documented earlier that four US missiles hit a tanker in the area of Kharg's anchorage. Tasnim quoted local sources as saying there were no casualties and the tanker's crew was being evacuated. No American personnel were harmed, Central Command remarked.

In an official note on X, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth remarked that Iran's oil tanker fleet was defenceless after American forces struck three of them today. In a post on X, Hegseth reiterated the US claim that Iran had no navy or air force, writing, It's simple: if Iran shoots at US ships, we will destroy (and sink) their oil tankers. All they have to do is not shoot at. He continued that US submarines, warships and warplanes could strike them all within the Central Command and Pacific Command areas of responsibility.

Iran warns against blockade.

Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the Iranian military's Khatam al-Anbiya Central Head­quarters has cautioned that if the US continues its naval blockade and "harassment of Iranian ships", then Iran will carry out more severe and potentially expanded strikes targeting American military vessels, Al Jazeera noted, citing a statement. The statement, carried by Iranian broadcaster IRIB, comes after the US asserted to have hit three Iranian oil tankers.

For context, the exchange of attacks followed an escalation previously week that threatened to deepen a conflict that had dragged on since the US introduced strikes on Iran in February, disrupting global energy supplies and drawing opposition from a majority of Americans before congressional elections in November.

Meanwhile, the US embassy in Bahrain pressed citizens to 'exercise heightened vigilance' in a security alert. "The US embassy reminds American citizens that Iran has previously targeted civilian infrastructure in Bahrain, including hotels in Manama, " the alert remarked, instructing US nationals to prepare for "potential flight cancellations, airspace closures, and travel disruptions".

US President Donald Trump remarked on August 31 in a one-line social media post accompanied by an AI-generated video that Kharg Island was being "blown to smithereens". Iranian authorities have vowed a solid response if Kharg is attacked.

Iran is the third-largest producer in the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and exported 90 per cent of its crude via Kharg Island before the war, but flows have been disrupted since a US blockade of Iranian oil exports began in mid-April.

Trump remarked on June 11 that he wanted to take over Kharg Island, but then stated a threatened US military operation there was off the table for now, days before Tehran and Washington signed an interim agreement aimed at ending the war on June 17. A US attack on Kharg would further pressure Iran's oil industry and its wider economy. It is already reeling from the US naval blockade. Published in Dawn, September 6th, 2026.

For now, iranian tankers hit after IRGC 'attack on US ships' remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.