On September 5, 2026, U.S. forces struck and disabled three Iranian crude oil tankers after Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) fired ballistic missiles at elements of the U.S. Navy, according to a report by U.S. Centcom.
Iranian forces fired upon an unnamed aircraft carrier and guided-missile destroyer, which evaded the Iranian missiles. No U.S. personnel were harmed, according to the statement from CENTCOM.
In response to the attack, U.S. forces targeted and disabled the M/V Downy near Kharg Island and the M/T Stark 1 near Jask. A third tanker, the unladen, Kylo also sometimes referred to as the Noxen, was also hit and completely destroyed in the Gulf of Oman.
M/V Downy is a 22 year old, 296,977 ton, Iran-flagged Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC). Downy (IMO 9218480) was struck in the stern with the intent of diabling its steering.
26 year old, 159,681 ton, Iran-flagged Suezmax tanker Stark I (IMO 9171450) suffered a similar hit. It’s believed both of these were disabled rather than destroyed because they were loaded. (Judging by their draft)
The Kylo is Comoros-flagged, and a 25 year old. The 160,573 ton Suezmax tanker was anchored to the east of the Strait of Hormuz admid other ships waiting to load. Per the video it was hit with multiple pieces of ordnance.
These tankers are apart of the Iranian shadow fleet—a fleet of ships that use concealing tactics (illegal flag and name changes) to hide, not so much what they are hauling but where it’s from.
“Let the message to the IRGC be clear: If you shoot at two of our ships, we will impose an even higher economic cost, taking out three of yours,” said Adm. Brad Cooper, CENTCOM commander. “We will not hesitate to defend American forces, and if necessary, destroy Iran’s limited and exposed oil fleet.”
Link to CENTCOM statement:
Global Conflict Reporting 
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