The United States military says it has struck and disabled three Iranian crude oil tankers after the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) fired ballistic missiles at two US Navy warships patrolling regional waters. US Central Command (CENTCOM) said an aircraft carrier and a guided‑missile destroyer successfully evaded the Iranian attacks, with no American personnel injured. In response, US forces permanently disabled the M/T Downy off Kharg Island and the M/T Stark 1 near Jask, and destroyed the unladen M/T Kylo (also known as Noxen) in the Gulf of Oman after ordering its crew to abandon ship. Iranian media earlier reported that an Iranian tanker had been hit by several US missiles off Kharg Island, according to Al Jazeera News.
The latest exchange comes as President Donald Trump renewed his warning that Washington may strike Iran’s heavily fortified Pickaxe Mountain “very soon,” a threat he first made in mid‑July. The underground complex near the damaged Natanz enrichment facility has become a flashpoint, with Trump telling reporters the US could hit it if anything “goes bad.” Iran’s First Vice President, Mohammad Reza Aref, accused Washington of turning to “economic warfare” after failing to achieve its goals militarily.
Behind the scenes, pressure is mounting over information leaks about the war. Pentagon investigators have administered polygraph tests to about 50 Joint Staff members to probe unauthorized disclosures, including reports on shortages of key munitions, according to The New York Times. Meanwhile, US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee urged the Israeli government to “guarantee the safety and security of the population in the West Bank” after visiting families of Palestinians killed by settlers, underscoring how regional tensions continue to widen beyond the US–Iran front.
