CENTCOM Strikes 3 Iranian Tankers After IRGC Warship Attack — SkimNews
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- CENTCOM struck three Iranian crude oil carriers on Sept. 5 in response to the IRGC launching ballistic missiles toward two U.S. Navy warships patrolling regional waters.
- Iran's Foreign Ministry called the strikes a "war crime," cited a violation of Article 2(4) of the U.N. Charter, and warned Washington and its allies would bear responsibility for further escalation.
- Secretary of War Pete Hegseth warned on X: "if Iran shoots at U.S. ships, we will destroy (and sink) their oil tankers."
- Retired Air Force Brig. Gen. John Teichert said Trump's "economic asphyxiation" strategy (Operation Economic Outcast) could take "months and not weeks" to succeed and requires maintaining roughly 50,000 U.S. troops in the region.
- Rep. Rick Crawford (R-Ark.), chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, called the strikes "the kinetic component" of the Trump administration's sanctions strategy, meant to convince Iran's leadership its position is "untenable."
- UKMTO, the U.K. maritime agency, said it was "unable to confirm" casualties or environmental impact after reports of "disabling fire" on merchant vessels in the Northern Arabian Gulf and Gulf of Oman.
Why it matters: Iran's "war crime" label on the strikes and the absence of a stated off-ramp for Trump's "economic asphyxiation" strategy mean the U.S. has now crossed from sanctions enforcement into open combat over Persian Gulf energy — a costly step Sen. Sanders is already leveraging against Trump by citing $4.15/gallon gas and "thousands of casualties."
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