Tehran: Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on Wednesday, September 9, claimed its forces had targeted two US Navy guided-missile destroyers and eight oil tankers in the Persian Gulf in retaliation for US strikes on five Iranian oil tankers.
In a statement carried by Iranian state media, the IRGC said its Aerospace Force had used ballistic missiles to target the two destroyers, identifying them as USS Delbert D. Black (DDG-119) and USS John Paul Jones (DDG-53). It claimed the vessels sustained significant damage.
The IRGC also claimed that 10 other vessels were targeted while attempting to enter what it described as a “prohibited and unsafe” area of the Strait of Hormuz. It said the waterway remained under the surveillance and management of its naval forces.
The claims followed US military action on Tuesday, September 8. US Central Command (CENTCOM) said American forces had destroyed Iranian crude oil tankers after the IRGC targeted a US Navy warship with ballistic missiles twice over the previous two days. The warship evaded the attacks and no US personnel were injured, according to CENTCOM.
CENTCOM identified the tankers as M/T Kaviz, M/T Charminar, M/T Horizon 1 and M/T Riesco, which were struck in the Gulf of Oman, and M/T Derya, which was hit near Iran’s Kharg Island. US forces directed the crews to abandon the vessels before they were struck, it said.
Iranian state media also reported separate attacks involving tankers near Kharg Island and the southern port of Jask. Tasnim reported that a tanker was struck near Kharg Island and its crew evacuated, while IRIB said two tankers were attacked near Jask and their crews were taken ashore by lifeboat.
Separately, Iranian state media reported that the IRGC Navy had captured an unmanned US submersible near the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz. Iran described the reported seizure as an intelligence-driven operation and said images would be released. There was no immediate US confirmation of the claim.
The latest exchange comes amid escalating tensions in the Gulf, six months into the US and Israel’s war on Iran, with Tehran closing the Strait of Hormuz and Washington enforcing a naval blockade on Iranian ports.
The hostilities pushed Brent crude to USD 99.49 a barrel in early trading on Wednesday as markets assessed the risk of further disruption to oil supplies through the strategic waterway.
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