CENTCOM says U.S. disabled five Iranian tankers after missile attempts

U.S. Central Command said U.S. forces destroyed five Iranian crude-oil carriers on Sept. 8 after what it described as two ballistic-missile attempts by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps against a U.S. Navy warship over the preceding two days. In its account, the command said the vessel evaded the attacks, remained on patrol in regional waters and suffered no U.S. personnel casualties.

The U.S. destroys five Iranian tankers claim is CENTCOM’s description of the operation. The command said crews were told to leave the vessels before they were struck and rendered inoperable, a more specific account than the wording in its release headline.

Iranian state television separately reported U.S. attacks on tankers near Jask and Kharg Island and said crews had been evacuated, according to an Associated Press report carried by Oregon Public Broadcasting. The available reporting does not independently establish the alleged missile launches, the tankers’ affiliations, the extent of damage or whether there were any casualties.

Which Iranian tankers did CENTCOM say the U.S. struck?

CENTCOM identified four vessels in the Gulf of Oman: the M/T Kaviz, M/T Charminar, M/T Horizon 1 and M/T Riesco. It said a fifth vessel, the M/T Derya, was struck near Kharg Island.

An Associated Press account published by OPB gave the first ship’s name as “Kivik,” rather than CENTCOM’s “Kaviz.” This report uses the spelling in the U.S. military command’s formal release.

• M/T Kaviz, Gulf of Oman
• M/T Charminar, Gulf of Oman
• M/T Horizon 1, Gulf of Oman
• M/T Riesco, Gulf of Oman
• M/T Derya, near Kharg Island

What did CENTCOM say prompted the strikes?

According to CENTCOM, the Revolutionary Guard targeted a Navy warship with ballistic missiles on two occasions during the prior 48 hours. The command said both attempts failed and that the ship continued its regional patrol. Neither CENTCOM’s release nor the external reporting in the available material provides an independent account of the alleged attacks.

CENTCOM also alleged that the tankers formed part of a multibillion-dollar network used to finance the Revolutionary Guard and allied groups. That is a U.S. military assertion, rather than a finding independently verified in the available evidence.

The Sept. 8 operation followed a separate Sept. 5 strike in which CENTCOM said it destroyed three Iranian crude carriers after an alleged attempted missile attack on a U.S. aircraft carrier and guided-missile destroyer. Reporting on that earlier incident said CENTCOM identified the vessels as the M/T Downy near Kharg Island, the M/T Stark 1 near Jask and the M/T Kylo, also known as Noxen, in the Gulf of Oman.

This story draws on original reporting from CNBC.