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Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) said Saturday that their naval forces hit three oil tankers and three vessels they described as affiliated with the U.S. in retaliation for American strikes on Iranian tankers earlier Saturday.
In a statement, the IRGC Navy confirmed that the U.S. forces attacked three Iranian-owned oil tankers in the morning while attempting to close the Strait of Hormuz, causing damage.
The Guards said their naval forces then targeted three oil tankers traveling through an "unauthorized route" in the Strait of Hormuz, along with three vessels affiliated with the United States in other areas.
The IRGC warned vessels against using the southern shipping corridor along Oman’s coast, saying suspicious movements would draw a military response.
"Do not be deceived by the terrorist U.S. military and refrain from any suspicious movement aimed at passing through unauthorized waterways; otherwise, you will be targeted," the statement said.
Hours earlier, Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya central command warned of “more severe” attacks on U.S. naval vessels if Washington continued striking Iranian ships.
"The U.S. terrorist army is warned that if the evil actions, insecurity and harassment of Iranian ships and the naval blockade of Iran continue, the strikes by the armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran against U.S. military vessels in the region will be more severe than before and there is a possibility of their expansion," the command said.
Earlier Saturday, the U.S. military reported striking and disabling three Iranian crude oil tankers after the IRGC launched ballistic missiles toward two U.S. Navy warships in regional waters.
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) identified two as the M/T Downy, off Kharg Island, and the M/T Stark 1, near Jask, describing both as IRGC crude oil carriers.
U.S. forces also destroyed the unladen M/T Kylo, also known as the "Noxen," in the Gulf of Oman after its crew was ordered to abandon ship. CENTCOM said multiple strikes on critical points rendered the vessel inoperable.
An aircraft carrier and a guided-missile destroyer evaded multiple Iranian attacks, according to the command, which added that no U.S. personnel were injured.
CENTCOM described the vessels as part of a "multibillion-dollar shadow network" allegedly used to finance the IRGC and its regional proxies.
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