U.S. Destroys Three Iranian Oil Tankers After Ballistic Missiles Target Two Navy Warships
On September 5–6, 2026, Iran fired ballistic missiles at a U.S. aircraft carrier and guided-missile destroyer in the Strait of Hormuz; CENTCOM reports both ships evaded the attacks without casualties, then struck and permanently disabled or destroyed three Iranian crude-oil carriers. Iran claims its missiles damaged U.S. vessels and that it struck additional targets, but none of those claims are independently confirmed by available sources. The exchange follows the August 17 expiration of a diplomatic memorandum with no replacement agreement in place, leaving Strait of Hormuz commercial traffic at a fraction of its historical baseline with no active U.S.-Iran diplomatic process established.