US destroys 5 Iranian tankers after IRGC attacks on Navy ship: CENTCOM

US Central Command said on Tuesday that American forces destroyed five Iranian crude oil carriers after Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps launched twin ballistic missile attacks against a US Navy warship over the past two days, ratcheting up tensions in the strategic Strait of Hormuz.

CENTCOM confirms missile attacks

The US warship successfully evaded both attempted strikes and continued patrolling regional waters without sustaining damage or casualties, according to the military statement. "The U.S. warship successfully evaded the attempted Iranian attacks and continued to patrol regional waters. No American personnel were harmed," CENTCOM said, adding that the retaliatory tanker strikes were conducted in response to the missile launches.

Washington warns of further strikes

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters during a visit to Colombia earlier on Tuesday that Iran would continue to lose tankers for every attempt it makes against American naval assets. "Iran continues to try to hit US naval ships, and for every time they do that or try to do that, they're going to lose tankers. And I think you'll see that again today," he said, adding that Washington would maintain its pressure campaign against Tehran's maritime operations.

Iranian media report tanker strikes

Iran's Tasnim news agency reported that a tanker was struck near Kharg Island's anchorage area, with no casualties reported and the crew evacuated to safety. State broadcaster IRIB separately confirmed that two additional oil tankers were attacked near the port of Jask, with crews evacuated to shore by lifeboat. The exchanges marked a fresh escalation in the waterway — a vital chokepoint for global energy shipments — despite the signing of a June memorandum that envisioned reopening the strait as a prelude to wider peace negotiations.