What happened

U.S. Central Command said its forces struck three Iranian crude-oil carriers on 5 September after the IRGC launched ballistic missiles toward a U.S. aircraft carrier and guided-missile destroyer. CENTCOM said both warships evaded the attacks and no American personnel were harmed. It said M/T Downy was permanently disabled off Kharg Island, M/T Stark 1 was permanently disabled near Jask, and the unladen M/T Kylo—also known as Noxen—was struck in multiple critical locations and completely destroyed in the Gulf of Oman after its crew was directed to abandon ship. CENTCOM subsequently confirmed that Kylo sank and released footage through its official DVIDS channel showing the sinking in the Gulf of Oman, dated 5 September 2026. TankerTrackers' analysis of 5 September satellite imagery identifies Downy as an NITC VLCC in ballast. It reported a burst of tugboat activity and AIS movement beginning around 04:45 UTC at the vessel's port quarter, suggesting an engine-room strike; imagery captured at 07:21 UTC reportedly showed no active fire or smoke. TankerTrackers assessed a U.S. Hellfire missile as the most likely weapon, but the imagery does not establish that weapon type and the tug activity is indirect evidence of the damage location. The service also reported that NITC's Stark 1, IMO 9171450, was struck off Kuh-e Mobarak and was likewise empty. Vessel databases identify STARK I as an Iranian-flagged crude tanker built in 2000, approximately 274 metres long and 159,681 deadweight tonnes; U.S. sanctions records link it to the National Iranian Tanker Company. Iranian reporting said four U.S. missiles struck the Kharg-area tanker about 10 kilometres from the island. IRIB later said its fire was extinguished with no fatalities and reported that the crews of two other vessels it placed near Jask reached shore by lifeboat without injuries. Fars subsequently reported that emergency crews had extinguished the Kharg-area tanker fire, all crew members were safe and no oil spill had been detected; it said technical teams were assessing structural integrity and preparing the vessel for relocation. Those are attributed Iranian reports rather than an independently published survey, and the relocation outcome remains unknown. IRIB said one of the two other ships carried oil and the other was empty, which conflicts with TankerTrackers' assessment that Downy and Stark 1 were in ballast and with CENTCOM's placement of Kylo/Noxen more broadly in the Gulf of Oman. Published stills show a tanker emitting dark smoke but lack original metadata or independent geolocation. The CENTCOM footage documents Kylo sinking but does not establish precise coordinates or pollution; independently measured damage to the other two carriers remains unavailable. A circulating video has associated radio warnings to Stark 1 with the Kharg-area strike, further conflicting with CENTCOM's locations; this record preserves the discrepancies rather than resolving them. After the strikes, U.S. defense secretary Pete Hegseth said the United States would destroy and sink Iranian oil tankers if Iran fired on U.S. ships, presenting future tanker attacks as a retaliatory policy; the statement is a threat, not evidence of additional strikes. The regional marker represents the three-strike operation, not an individual vessel position.

When cited sources give different casualty, damage or spill figures for this event, they’re reported side by side above rather than merged into one number. See how confidence levels work.