U.S. Launched Hellfire Missiles at Oil Tanker Attempting to Reach Iran’s Kharg Island
July 16th, 2026Via: Independent:
The US has launched Hellfire missiles at an oil tanker attempting to reach Iran’s Kharg Island, after Donald Trump warned Tehran it “better behave” amid renewed strikes over the Strait of Hormuz.
The unladen tanker had ignored multiple warnings before the US military fired the missiles into the ship’s smokestack, Central Command (Centcom) said. Kharg Island is home to a terminal through which Tehran exports most of its oil.
It came as US forces carried out two waves of attacks on Iran’s coastal defences and missile sites on Wednesday after reimposing a naval blockade of its ports, an escalation which has come days after the collapse of a fragile truce collapsed.
Iran struck back by targeting US military sites in neighboring countries in what it called an “existential war” with America. Tehran is also threatening to shut off more regional energy exports, as fears of a resumption of full-scale war grow.
