Pete Hegseth Warns Iran US Could Sink Oil Tankers
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has warned that American forces will destroy and sink Iranian oil tankers if Tehran attacks US Navy vessels, as military tensions intensify around the Strait of Hormuz and Iran’s oil export infrastructure.
Hegseth Warns Iran Against Targeting US Navy
Hegseth issued the warning after US Central Command commander Admiral Brad Cooper said Iran would face increasingly severe economic consequences for attacks on American vessels.
Hegseth said the US response was straightforward: if Iran fired on American ships, Iranian oil tankers would be targeted. Cooper similarly warned that attacks on two US vessels could result in American forces destroying three Iranian ships.
US Strikes Three Iranian Oil Tankers
The warning followed US strikes on three Iranian crude oil carriers on September 5. US Central Command said the operation came after Iran launched ballistic missiles at two US Navy ships. No American personnel were injured in the Iranian attack.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has separately claimed attacks against several American vessels, including a US aircraft carrier and destroyer. Those specific Iranian claims had not been independently confirmed by the United States.
Strait of Hormuz Tensions Escalate
The confrontation threatens further disruption to global energy supplies. The United States has been enforcing a naval blockade aimed at restricting Iranian oil exports, while Iran has sought to exert pressure by restricting shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
Before the conflict, roughly one-fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas supplies passed through the strategic waterway. Iran has warned that attacks on US military vessels could intensify if Washington continues its blockade and actions against Iranian shipping.
