US strikes 3 Iranian tankers in retaliation for IRGC attacks

Kevin Whitelaw, Bloomberg News on Sep 5, 2026

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The U.S. military said it launched strikes against three Iranian crude oil tankers in retaliation for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps targeting two U.S. Navy warships with ballistic missiles.

Two Iranian tankers were disabled near Kharg Island, while another was destroyed in the Gulf of Oman, U.S. Central Command said Saturday in a post on X, adding that the crew was told to abandon ship before the strikes.

“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,” Admiral Brad Cooper, who runs Central Command, said in the post.

President Donald Trump has said he wants to strangle Iran’s economy even as he has struggled to bring the monthslong war with Iran to a close. On Friday, he called the conflict “small potatoes.”

Polls show Americans have given Trump poor marks for his handling of the war, which has spiked energy prices for Americans, putting his fellow Republicans in danger of losing control of Congress in the November midterm elections.