On Tuesday, U.S. forces took out five Iranian crude oil tankers in response to two unsuccessful ballistic missile launches at an American warship during the past two days, U.S. Central Command said. The military said the American ship avoided damage and no U.S. personnel were hurt.
Centcom identified four targets in the Gulf of Oman - the M/T Kaviz, M/T Charminar, M/T Horizon 1 and M/T Riesco - and said the M/T Derya was struck near Iran's Kharg Island. "American forces directed the crews to abandon ship before the vessels were struck and rendered inoperable," Centcom said. As fighting flares again, the Trump administration is shifting to an approach aimed at economically undermining Tehran.
He added that it "was surveying regional waters in support of ongoing operations," and that "U.S. operations in area waters continue." Hawkins' statement also said, "The defective drone was an older model that neither collected sensitive data nor carried any classified sonar or radar equipment."
Iran's Revolutionary Guard said it had trapped "one of the most modern, intelligent, unmanned submarines of the American terrorist army at the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz," per a translated post from Iranian state outlet Fars, which later published videos and images it said showed the craft. Iranian media described the vehicle as a Dive‑LD autonomous undersea system from Anduril. DefenseScoop reported in 2024 that each costs about $2.5 million.
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Centcom also reported that on Saturday, after the Guard launched ballistic missiles at a U.S. aircraft carrier and a guided‑missile destroyer, U.S. forces destroyed three Iranian tankers; those missile attacks failed. At the same time, the Trump administration is moving to a plan focused on economically crippling Tehran, even as these clashes continue.
The increasing use of autonomous systems is part of the picture. This summer, startup Saronic used one of its unmanned surface vessels to help rescue crew from a helicopter that went down in the Hormuz Strait, and later, its boats were involved in an attack against an Iranian submarine and a ship facility.
No need to trade on headlines, but it is worth watching how supply jitters and defense spending trends show up in the prices you actually feel.
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