Iranian Oil Tanker Reportedly Hit by US Missiles Near Kharg Island

An Iranian oil tanker was reportedly struck by U.S. forces on Saturday near Kharg Island, Iran’s key oil export hub in the Gulf, according to the semi-official Iranian news agency Tasnim.

A Tasnim correspondent in the Kharg area reported that the tanker was hit by four U.S. missiles while it was anchored near the island.

Local sources cited by Tasnim said there were no casualties and that the tanker’s crew was being evacuated.

There was no immediate official confirmation from Iranian authorities. U.S. Central Command also did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The reported attack comes after U.S. President Donald Trump said in a social media post on August 31, accompanied by an AI-generated video, that Kharg Island was being “blown to smithereens.” Iranian authorities have previously vowed to respond strongly to any attack on the island.

Kharg Island is strategically important to Iran’s oil industry. Iran is the third-largest producer in the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and had been exporting around 90% of its crude through Kharg Island before the war. However, oil flows have been disrupted since the United States imposed a blockade on Iranian oil exports in mid-April.

Trump had also said on June 11 that he wanted to take control of Kharg Island, before later stating that a planned U.S. military operation against the island was not being considered at that time.

A U.S. attack on Kharg Island would place further pressure on Iran’s oil industry and wider economy, which has already been affected by the U.S. naval blockade.

The United States imposed the blockade on Iranian ports after Iran effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, a strategically important waterway through which around one-fifth of the world’s oil supply passed before the war.

Source: Reuters