U.S. military sinks 5 Iranian oil tankers: command

WASHINGTON, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) -- U.S. forces on Tuesday destroyed five Iranian crude oil carriers in retaliation for attacks by the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) on a U.S. Navy warship over the past two days, the U.S. Central Command said.

The U.S. warship successfully evaded the attempted Iranian attacks with ballistic missiles and continued to patrol regional waters, the command said in a post on X.

"American forces directed the crews to abandon ship before the vessels were struck and rendered inoperable," the command said in a statement, noting the strikes took place near Iran's Kharg Island.

The U.S. military on Saturday destroyed three Iranian crude oil carriers after the IRGC tried to attack a U.S. aircraft carrier and guided-missile destroyer, said the statement, adding that all IRGC attempts against U.S. Navy warships have failed.

The latest U.S. strikes were "part of that pressure campaign" against the Iranian economy which relies heavily on crude oil exports, U.S. media reported, citing U.S. officials.