US and Iran trade retaliatory attacks on ships as conflict flares — SkimNews
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- US Central Command said it "permanently disabled" two Iran-linked oil tankers near Kharg Island and "completely destroyed" a third in the Gulf of Oman, claiming the vessels were part of a "multi-billion-dollar shadow network" funding the IRGC.
- Iran's IRGC retaliated by striking three US-affiliated vessels and three oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz that were using "unauthorised" routes, according to Iranian state outlet Irib.
- Centcom reported two US warships had been targeted earlier in the day by IRGC attacks aimed at a US aircraft carrier and guided-missile destroyer; all were "successfully evaded" and no American troops were harmed.
- Kharg Island handles approximately 90% of Iran's crude oil exports, making the struck terminal a critical node in Tehran's oil infrastructure.
- The Strait of Hormuz, previously one of the world's busiest oil-shipping routes carrying about 20% of global oil and LNG supplies, has been effectively closed since the war began in February.
- President Trump dismissed the conflict as "small potatoes" on Friday, while Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth wrote on social media: "if Iran shoots at US ships, we will destroy (and sink) their oil tankers."
- US diesel prices hit $5.85 per gallon on Friday, up from $3.71 a year ago, as Trump faces pressure ahead of November midterm elections over war costs to American consumers.
Why it matters: Saturday's exchange shows the six-month US-Iran war is escalating, not winding down — both sides now openly striking commercial shipping near the world's most important oil chokepoint, the Strait of Hormuz. Trump's "small potatoes" framing sits in direct tension with the scale of the tanker strikes, and US consumers are already paying $5.85/gallon diesel, up $2.14 year-over-year, with midterm elections weeks away.
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