US Says It Hit Three Iranian Crude Tankers; One Vessel Crossed Hormuz Saturday
Three Iranian crude tankers were hit by American forces and one of them destroyed, the U.S. military said, describing the action as a reply to ballistic missiles fired by the IRGC at two U.S. Navy warships, World Oil reported.
Tehran's account differs on who shot first. Iran said its own strikes hit three oil tankers that had taken an unauthorized route through the Strait of Hormuz, plus several ships with U.S. links, and framed the attacks as payback for American strikes on Iranian tankers, according to World Oil.
One of the tankers hit by U.S. forces, the Suezmax-sized Kylo, went down in the Gulf of Oman, U.S. Central Command said.
Two further vessels were left out of action, per the same Central Command account: the Suezmax Stark I in the Gulf of Oman, and the very large crude carrier Downy in the Persian Gulf close to Kharg Island, Iran's oil export hub.
Merchant movement through the chokepoint has all but stopped. Kpler data cited by World Oil show a single commodity vessel crossed the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday, with observable traffic through the waterway linking the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman still sparse.
Source: worldoil.com (opens in a new tab)1 sourcePermalink