The United States destroyed five Iranian oil tankers on September 8, with four located in the Gulf of Oman and one near Kharg Island. This action followed two consecutive days in which Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps attempted to hit a U.S. Navy warship with ballistic missiles.
According to U.S. Central Command, the warship successfully evaded both missile attacks, and no American personnel were injured. In response, Iran launched approximately 20 ballistic missiles at the Muwaffaq Salti Air Base, also known as Al Azraq, in Jordan, where U.S. forces are stationed. The Jordanian Armed Forces reported intercepting and destroying 18 of these missiles, with the remaining two landing in unpopulated areas, resulting in no casualties.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio defended the U.S. strikes, stating, “Iran continues to try to hit U.S. naval ships, and for every time they do that or try to do that, they’re going to lose tankers.” This policy was in place before the recent strikes.
On September 5, following Iran’s attack on two U.S. Navy warships, CENTCOM Commander Admiral Brad Cooper warned that the U.S. would respond disproportionately, indicating, “If you shoot at two of our ships, we will impose an even higher economic cost — taking out three of yours.”
The strikes that day disabled three Iranian tankers. The additional strikes on Tuesday brought the total number of Iranian tankers disabled or destroyed by the United States since September 5 to eight.
Iran’s retaliation extended beyond military targets, claiming attacks on 10 vessels near the Strait of Hormuz on September 9, including two U.S. vessels and eight oil tankers. However, none of these claims have been independently confirmed. A seafarer aboard the Gibraltar-flagged tanker Hercules Star was killed, and another went missing after a suspected drone strike off Dubai.
Another tanker, the New Andros, carrying about 2 million barrels of fuel oil, caught fire in Iraqi territorial waters; fortunately, its 22 crew members were unharmed. The Institute for the Study of War noted that Iran appears to be targeting stationary, anchored vessels instead of moving ones, as their forces have found it challenging to track and strike ships in motion, even with increased traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.
In the Al Azraq strike, Iran used cluster-munition ballistic missiles for the first time in months. Two U.S. officials confirmed minimal damage and no American casualties.
The naval blockade impacting Iran’s oil exports has forced Tehran to raise domestic fuel prices. On September 8, the government doubled gasoline prices for heavy users from 50,000 to 100,000 rials per liter for consumption over the monthly quota of 110 liters. This loss in export revenue is pressuring a state budget reliant on subsidized fuel.
Government spokeswoman Fatemeh Mohajerani indicated the price hike affects only about 15 percent of drivers who exceed the monthly quota, leaving the subsidized rate unchanged for most Iranians. The government is cautious, aware that a similar increase in 2019 led to nationwide protests and a crackdown by security forces, resulting in over 300 deaths.
The International Monetary Fund forecasts that Iran’s economy will contract by 5.4 percent in 2026, with consumer prices increasing by 68.9 percent. On August 24, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced Operation Economic Outcast, aiming to “sever every economic lifeline that sustains this tyrannical regime until Tehran stands alone.”
At the G20 finance ministers meeting on September 1, Bessent stated the U.S. plans to “economically asphyxiate” Iran’s regime. He estimated Iran has about 30 million barrels of crude that China has yet to purchase. Once depleted, Iran will have no remaining unsold crude stockpile.
The economic impact is already visible in China, Iran’s main oil customer. Chinese “teapot” refineries have begun purchasing Brazilian and Iraqi crude as alternatives to the increasingly scarce Iranian oil. Sun Jianan, an analyst with Energy Aspects, noted, “Given the thin Iranian availability amid the U.S. blockade, Chinese teapots are now looking beyond Russia and Iran.”
The conflict has also influenced financial markets. Brent crude settled at $97.89 on September 8, later rising by 2.4 percent to $100.29 the next morning, surpassing $100 for the first time in nearly six weeks.
President Trump addressed the situation on September 8 during a White House event marking the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks. He stated, “We’re right now fighting because we have a certain nation that wanted a nuclear weapon,” adding, “They were very close to getting it, and now they have no chance of getting it. They will never have a nuclear weapon.”
Trump further remarked, “Iran will not have a nuclear weapon, and they’ve been punished greatly.”
