U.S. strikes more Iranian tankers after second missile attack on Navy warship

The U.S. military struck multiple Iranian oil tankers on Tuesday after Iran launched a second wave of missile attacks against an American warship, according to a U.S. official who spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity. The strikes, carried out near Iran's Kharg Island and the southeastern port city of Jask, mark a rapid escalation in a tit-for-tat cycle that has pushed oil prices toward $100 a barrel and raised fears of a wider Gulf energy war.al-monitor

The Wall Street Journal News Corp ↘ 1.37% reported that the latest Iranian attack was an undisclosed second attempt to hit U.S. Navy ships in three days, fueling concerns that Tehran's missiles are growing more capable. "American forces have struck multiple Iranian tankers tied to the IRGC in response to more attempted missile attacks on a US Navy warship," a U.S. official told Al-Monitor.foxnews+1

A Dangerous Pattern

Tuesday's exchange followed a similar sequence on September 5, when Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps fired ballistic missiles at a U.S. aircraft carrier and guided-missile destroyer. Both ships evaded the attack, according to U.S. Central Command, which then struck three Iranian crude oil carriers — permanently disabling two and destroying a third, the unladen tanker M/T Kylo, in the Gulf of Oman. CENTCOM commander Admiral Brad Cooper warned at the time: "If you shoot at two of our ships, we will impose an even higher economic cost".nagalandpost+1

Iran's parliament speaker and lead negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, responded by warning that "the rules of the game have changed" and threatening U.S. oil and gas infrastructure across the Gulf. "Strike our assets, and you get struck," Ghalibaf wrote on X.rferl+1

Exclusion Zone and Economic Pressure

Tehran has also signaled plans to impose a maritime "exclusion zone" extending from the U.S. blockade line into parts of the Persian Gulf. Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, said the zone would target vessels attempting to transit the Strait of Hormuz without Iranian permission. The White House dismissed the announcement, saying the strait remains open and under U.S. control.yahoo+2

Brent crude was trading at a seven-week high on Tuesday as the conflict continued to squeeze global energy supplies. Iranian crude stockpiles held on tankers outside the U.S. blockade zone have fallen from roughly 90 million barrels in mid-July to about 29 million, according to shipping-analytics firm Kpler, and could be exhausted by mid-October at current delivery rates.rferl+1

Regional Fallout

The confrontation is rippling across the Gulf. Houthi forces in Yemen launched attacks on Saudi Arabia on Tuesday that injured 73 people, striking civilian sites and Aramco facilities. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio accused the Houthis of acting with "the Iranian hand". Meanwhile, Qatar said it was working with China to resume diplomacy aimed at reopening the strait, and the UAE's diplomatic adviser Anwar Gargash warned that "no single state" should control the waterway.newindianexpress+2

With CENTCOM reporting it has now redirected 94 commercial ships as part of its blockade enforcement, and only one commodity vessel crossing the strait on a recent day according to Kpler data, the six-month war shows no sign of easing.yahoo+1