U.S. forces struck three Iranian oil tankers on Saturday, including one off Kharg Island, after Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps fired missiles at two U.S. Navy ships. The exchange pushed Brent crude to its highest close since July 24 and deepened a US-Iran conflict that has disrupted global energy supplies since February.
US hits three tankers after missile attack
U.S. forces struck three Iranian oil tankers on Saturday, Central Command said, including one off the coast of Kharg Island, Iran's key export hub. The strikes came after Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps launched ballistic missiles at two U.S. Navy ships, Central Command said.
According to Central Command chief Admiral Brad Cooper: "we will impose an even higher economic cost". No American personnel were harmed, Central Command said. Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency reported that four U.S. missiles hit a tanker at Kharg's anchorage, with no casualties and the crew being evacuated; Iranian authorities made no immediate official statement.
Kharg Island under pressure
President Donald Trump posted on Aug. 31 that Kharg Island was being destroyed, attaching an AI-generated video to the message. Iran is OPEC's third-largest producer and exported 90% of its crude through Kharg before the war, but flows have been disrupted since a U.S. blockade of Iranian oil exports began in mid-April. The blockade followed Iran's effective shutdown of the Strait of Hormuz, a waterway that carried one-fifth of the world's oil supply before the war.
As a result, Brent crude futures closed at $96.28 a barrel on Friday, their highest level since July 24, as Middle East tensions drive supply concerns.
Precision strikes, no casualties
Central Command released footage of the operation, which targeted vessels in the Strait of Hormuz using precision munitions aimed at critical ship components. The goal was to disable the tankers rather than sink them, limiting the risk of an oil spill. No casualties were reported on either side, and commercial shipping continued moving through the strait under heightened U.S. naval protection.
The strikes extend a year of escalation: U.S. forces have hit more than 80 Iranian targets in recent months, striking air defenses, military boats and other IRGC assets, while war-risk premiums for vessels entering the Persian Gulf have risen steadily through 2026.
Meanwhile, prediction-market pricing tracked by Crypto Briefing put a 26.5% probability on Iran ordering a full airspace closure by Dec. 31, up from 18% a week earlier — a shift the site said may fuel further speculation about Iran's response amid rising geopolitical risk.
Sources: Commodities & Futures News, Crypto Briefing, Crypto Briefing
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