US Fires Hellfires on Oil Tanker Bound for Iran's Kharg Island
The US disabled an unladen oil tanker with Hellfire missiles as it tried to reach Iran's Kharg Island terminal, the Guardian reported, as fresh strikes hit Tehran.
Developing story — this page will be updated as information becomes available.
US forces disabled an unladen oil tanker with Hellfire missiles as the vessel tried to reach Iran’s Kharg Island crude export terminal, the Guardian reported early Thursday, as fresh US strikes were also reported inside Tehran. It is the first confirmed US kinetic strike on a commercial tanker in the current campaign and marks a sharp escalation from earlier strikes on Iranian shore batteries and radar.
What we know
The Guardian said the US “fired on an oil tanker attempting to reach Kharg Island,” Iran’s principal crude-export terminal in the northern Persian Gulf, and that the vessel was disabled by Hellfire missiles. The paper framed the action against the backdrop of concerns the widening US-Iran exchange “could spiral into open conflict.” The tanker was reported to be unladen at the time it was hit.
The Guardian also reported strikes inside Tehran overnight, without immediate detail on targets. Separately, the Jerusalem Post said the US had launched a new wave of strikes on Iran and that Kuwait had intercepted Iranian missiles and drones. The Hill said the latest US wave targeted Tehran’s ability to threaten shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, and that President Trump was “mulling attacks against” Iranian bridges. CENTCOM told the Jerusalem Post its strikes are “degrading” Iran’s threat to Hormuz shipping and that US forces “remain ready to strike Iranian capabilities threatening commercial shipping.”
What we don’t know
The tanker’s flag, operator, and crew status were not disclosed in initial reporting. The exact position of the strike — Guardian language ties it to both the Strait of Hormuz transit and a Kharg Island destination in the northern Gulf — was not specified. There was no immediate US Central Command statement naming the vessel, and no independent confirmation of casualties on board. Iranian authorities had not publicly acknowledged the tanker strike at the time of writing. This is a developing story.
Context
The strike is a step beyond the pattern of the last week, in which US forces hit Iranian coastal radars, marine control towers, and small boats to protect shipping through Hormuz — see our coverage of the Wednesday CENTCOM strike wave on Hormuz positions and the earlier drone-boat operation off Bandar Abbas. Firing Hellfires at a tanker inbound to Kharg targets Iran’s export revenue directly rather than its ability to interdict others’ cargoes.
Kharg Island handles the overwhelming majority of Iran’s crude exports. A sustained US interdiction posture around the terminal would mark a de facto oil-export blockade on top of the naval blockade of Iranian ports reimposed over the weekend. Iranian missile and drone volleys on US bases in Kuwait, Jordan, and Bahrain earlier this week already put regional partners on the receiving end of the retaliation cycle.
What to watch
- Whether CENTCOM issues an on-record statement naming the tanker and confirming the Hellfire engagement.
- Any Iranian response targeting non-Iranian shipping or Gulf oil infrastructure in the next 24 hours.
- Brent and WTI opens in Asia after a fourth consecutive daily rise on the Reuters tape.
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