WASHINGTON, DC – Sept. 9, 2026 (STL.News) The United States military destroyed five Iranian crude oil tankers, including one near strategically important Kharg Island, after Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps allegedly attempted to strike a U.S. Navy warship with ballistic missiles, triggering another significant escalation in the six-month conflict between Washington and Tehran.
Iran responded by launching ballistic missiles toward a military base in Jordan used by U.S. forces and claimed attacks against 10 vessels near the Strait of Hormuz, according to Iranian state media and international reporting.
The rapidly developing confrontation has once again placed one of the world’s most important energy corridors at the center of the conflict while pushing oil prices toward $100 per barrel and further disrupting commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
U.S. Central Command said American forces destroyed five Iranian crude carriers Tuesday after the IRGC attempted to strike a U.S. Navy warship twice with ballistic missiles during the preceding two days.
The Navy vessel successfully evaded the attempted attacks, according to CENTCOM, and no American personnel were reported injured.
U.S. forces targeted five tankers: the M/T Kaviz, M/T Charminar, M/T Horizon 1, M/T Riesco, and M/T Derya.
Four were struck in the Gulf of Oman. The Derya was struck near Kharg Island, home to Iran’s most important oil export terminal.
CENTCOM said crews aboard the vessels were directed to abandon ship before the American attacks.
US Strike Reaches Waters Near Kharg Island
The Derya’s location makes the latest operation particularly significant.
Kharg Island sits in the Persian Gulf off Iran’s southwestern coast and has historically played a central role in the country’s petroleum export system. The U.S. attack therefore occurred near one of Iran’s most strategically important energy locations.
However, the distinction between attacking a vessel near Kharg Island and attacking the island’s infrastructure is important.
Current reporting indicates that the Sept. 8 American strike targeted the Derya near Kharg Island, rather than representing a newly announced U.S. attack against Kharg Island’s oil facilities.
U.S. officials have described the targeted tankers as part of a network used to generate revenue for the IRGC and Iranian-backed groups throughout the Middle East.
The latest attacks came only three days after another American operation against Iranian oil carriers.
On Sept. 5, CENTCOM announced that U.S. forces had struck three Iranian crude oil carriers after the IRGC launched ballistic missiles toward a U.S. aircraft carrier and guided-missile destroyer.
CENTCOM said both American warships successfully evaded those attacks and no U.S. personnel were injured.
In that operation, American forces permanently disabled the M/T Downy off Kharg Island and the M/T Stark 1 near Jask, while completely destroying the M/T Kylo, also known as the Noxen, in the Gulf of Oman.
CENTCOM characterized those ships as part of a multibillion-dollar network supporting the IRGC and its regional proxies.
The Sept. 8 operation therefore represents a substantial expansion of the U.S. campaign against Iran’s maritime oil network.
Iran Retaliates Against US Forces
Iran responded quickly.
The Revolutionary Guard said Wednesday that it fired ballistic missiles at a military installation near Al Azraq, Jordan, used by American forces.
Iran claimed the attack caused heavy damage, but those claims have not been independently verified.
Jordan provided a significantly different account.
Jordanian authorities said air defenses intercepted 18 of 20 Iranian missiles, while the remaining two fell in unpopulated areas. No casualties were reported.
A U.S. official described the Iranian attack as ineffective and said American personnel were accounted for.
The conflicting accounts underscore the importance of distinguishing between independently confirmed developments and wartime claims issued by the governments and military organizations involved.
Iran also claimed Wednesday that its forces attacked 10 ships, including two American vessels and eight oil tankers.
The Revolutionary Guard alleged that the vessels were attempting to cross what Iran described as a prohibited and unsafe section of the Strait of Hormuz.
The extent of the damage claimed by Iran was not immediately independently confirmed.
However, maritime authorities have reported additional incidents involving commercial vessels in the region, demonstrating the increasingly dangerous conditions facing shipping operators.
Strait of Hormuz Traffic Plunges
The escalating military confrontation carries implications extending far beyond Iran and the United States.
The Strait of Hormuz is one of the most important energy transportation corridors on Earth.
Before the current war began on Feb. 28, approximately 125 large commercial vessels typically moved through the strait each day, according to shipping data cited by Reuters.
The route historically handled approximately 20% of the world’s daily crude oil and liquefied natural gas supply.
Traffic has since fallen dramatically.
Preliminary Kpler shipping data showed only six commodity vessels crossed the Strait of Hormuz Tuesday, compared with nine Monday and a 10-day average of approximately 12.
Five of Tuesday’s vessels entered the waterway, and only one exited.
The figures do not include vessels that may have turned off their Automatic Identification System transponders to reduce their visibility.
The declining traffic illustrates how dramatically the conflict has altered commercial activity around the Persian Gulf.
Washington has attempted to maintain limited maritime movement while simultaneously restricting Iranian petroleum exports. Tehran, meanwhile, has sought to exert greater control over vessels moving through the strategic waterway.
The result is an increasingly dangerous contest involving naval forces, commercial tankers and some of the world’s most important energy infrastructure.
Oil Prices Approach $100
Energy markets are responding accordingly.
Brent crude approached $100 per barrel early Wednesday, reaching its highest level since July as traders weighed the possibility of further disruptions to Middle Eastern oil production and transportation.
Brent has risen roughly 25% since early August as hopes for a lasting resolution to the conflict diminished and military activity intensified.
West Texas Intermediate crude also moved higher.
The significance extends beyond oil traders and energy companies.
Sustained increases in crude prices can eventually translate into higher gasoline, diesel, aviation, and transportation costs. Those increases can filter through supply chains and place renewed upward pressure on consumer prices.
The possibility of prolonged disruption around Hormuz matters because alternative transportation routes cannot easily replace all the petroleum historically moving through the strait.
Markets are therefore watching both the military confrontation and commercial shipping data closely.
Regional Conflict Expands
The renewed U.S.-Iran confrontation is unfolding alongside additional instability across the Middle East.
Iran-backed Houthi forces in Yemen launched attacks against several Saudi Arabian cities Tuesday, including strikes involving drones and missiles.
Saudi authorities reported dozens of people wounded and fires at oil-related facilities.
The attacks further complicated efforts to maintain stable energy supplies while increasing the possibility that additional U.S. allies could become more deeply involved in the regional conflict.
The Houthis have also historically threatened maritime traffic around the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, another crucial shipping corridor connecting the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden.
The simultaneous instability surrounding Hormuz and Bab el-Mandeb creates an unusually serious threat to maritime trade because the two waterways serve as critical routes for oil, natural gas, and international commerce.
US and Iran Enter Another Dangerous Phase
The latest exchange represents a sharp reversal after approximately a month of relative calm.
The broader war began Feb. 28 with joint U.S.-Israeli attacks against Iran and has since developed into a combination of military confrontation and economic pressure.
Washington has sought to weaken Tehran’s ability to finance military operations and allied groups by restricting Iranian petroleum exports.
Iran has responded by threatening American military assets, U.S. allies, and maritime traffic.
The destruction of five Iranian tankers Tuesday demonstrates that the United States is increasingly willing to impose direct economic costs when Iran targets American warships.
Iran’s subsequent missile attack toward the U.S.-used base in Jordan demonstrates that Tehran remains willing to retaliate.
That cycle creates an obvious escalation risk.
An unsuccessful missile attack can produce a retaliatory strike. That strike can generate another response, potentially creating increasingly destructive rounds of military action even when neither side initially intends a much broader confrontation.
The commercial consequences are already visible.
Tankers have been destroyed or disabled. Commercial shipping has declined sharply. Oil prices have approached or exceeded psychologically important levels, and countries across the region face increased security risks.
Kharg Island Remains Critical
Kharg Island will remain one of the locations to watch closely as the confrontation develops.
The island’s importance to Iran’s petroleum industry makes military activity around it especially consequential.
For now, the latest verified U.S. action near Kharg Island involved the destruction of the M/T Derya, rather than a newly announced attack against the island’s petroleum infrastructure itself.
That distinction could become critical if the conflict continues to escalate.
Direct attacks against major Iranian petroleum infrastructure could have substantially different economic and military consequences than attacks against individual vessels.
The situation remained fluid early Wednesday, Sept. 9, as governments, maritime authorities and military officials continued assessing the overnight attacks.
Additional U.S. or Iranian military action could quickly change conditions throughout the Persian Gulf.
For global markets, meanwhile, attention remains focused on whether commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz can continue and whether crude oil supplies from the region will face additional disruption.
With five Iranian tankers destroyed Tuesday, Iran retaliating against U.S. interests and commercial traffic through one of the world’s most important energy corridors severely reduced, the confrontation between Washington and Tehran has entered another dangerous phase.
Editor’s note: This is a developing story. Military claims from the United States, Iran and other governments may change as additional information becomes available. STL.News distinguishes between independently confirmed information and claims made by parties involved in the conflict.
