Satellite image of Kharg Island, located in the Persian Gulf off the coast of Iran.
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An Iranian tanker was rammed by US forces on Saturday near the Gulf island of Kharg, an important Iranian oil export hub, Iran’s semi-state news agency Tasnim reported.
According to correspondent Tasnim from Kharg, the tanker was attacked by four US missiles near its anchorage on Kharg Island.
Tasnim, citing local sources, said there were no casualties and the tanker’s crew had been evacuated.
There was no immediate official announcement from Iranian authorities, and U.S. Central Command did not respond to a request for comment.
On August 31, US President Donald Trump said in a one-line social media post accompanied by an AI-generated video that Kharg Island was being “blown to smithereens.” Iranian authorities have vowed a strong response if Kharg is attacked.
Iran is the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries’ third-largest producer and before the war, exported 90% of its crude oil through Kharg Island, but the flow of crude oil has been disrupted since the U.S. blockade of Iranian oil exports began in mid-April.
President Trump said on June 11 that he wanted to capture Kharg Island, but days before Tehran and Washington signed a tentative agreement on June 17 aimed at ending the war, he said the threat of a U.S. military operation on the island was off the table for now.
A U.S. attack on Kharg would put further pressure on Iran’s oil industry and broader economy, already reeling from the U.S. naval blockade.
The United States blockaded Iranian ports after Iran effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway that carried a fifth of the world’s oil supplies before the war.
