U.S. strikes on Iranian tankers and IRGC threats to Gulf ships raise risk of wider ‘tanker war’
Iranian media say U.S. forces hit at least two Iranian oil tankers near Jask, as Iran’s Revolutionary Guards warn crews on tankers in Kuwaiti and Bahraini ports to leave their ships. The emerging showdown over commercial vessels and key sea lanes puts merchant sailors, Gulf economies and energy supplies under growing threat.
A confrontation that began with U.S. strikes on Iranian oil tankers near the Strait of Hormuz is turning into a direct contest over commercial shipping, after Iran’s Revolutionary Guards warned crews to abandon tankers in Kuwaiti and Bahraini ports.
On 8 September, Iranian television reported that another Iranian oil tanker was attacked by the U.S. in the area of Jask Island in southern Iran. Iranian TV also said that crews from two Iranian oil tankers targeted by U.S. forces were being transferred to the coast of Jask, indicating that at least two vessels had been hit hard enough that remaining aboard was no longer considered safe.
A separate regional report, citing an unnamed source, claimed that U.S. forces struck three Iranian oil tankers, and said Iran’s Navy had issued evacuation orders for crews of all tankers anchored or docked at ports in Kuwait and Bahrain. That account linked the strikes to an alleged targeting of a U.S. carrier strike group and presented the tanker attacks as part of a wider clash. These specific details have not been independently confirmed, but they shape regional perceptions of the incident.
In parallel, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy issued an explicit warning about future targets. According to statements carried in regional reporting, the IRGC Navy said it warned oil tanker crews at ports and anchorages in Kuwait and Bahrain to immediately abandon their vessels, saying they would be targeted. Another account said Iranian state media reported that the IRGC Navy had warned oil tanker crews near Kuwaiti and Bahraini ports hosting U.S. forces to evacuate.
These warnings turn commercial ships, many with multinational civilian crews, into declared targets in a confrontation driven by state actors. Tanker crews now face the prospect of rapid evacuations, leaving valuable cargo and vessels behind and disembarking in ports far from home. Even without confirmed strikes on non-Iranian tankers, such threats can disrupt port operations and shipping schedules as owners, captains and insurers reassess the risks of staying in threatened harbors.
The ports mentioned in these reports—Kuwaiti and Bahraini facilities that host U.S. forces and handle oil tankers—are central to Gulf energy exports and regional trade. If tankers there are forced to sail early, remain at anchor offshore, or halt loading and unloading operations due to security concerns, the impact would be felt in chartering decisions, freight rates and delivery schedules for buyers who rely on steady flows of Gulf crude and products.
The phrase “the tanker wars have begun,” used in one post, reflects the way regional observers are interpreting this exchange: as the opening phase of a struggle in which both sides see pressure on shipping as a tool of policy. U.S. forces appear prepared to physically target Iranian tankers, while Iran is signaling that it is willing to threaten tankers in ports linked to U.S. basing.
The next developments to watch are whether any tankers in Kuwaiti or Bahraini ports are actually struck or damaged, how quickly and widely crews are evacuated from vessels in the threatened areas, and whether U.S. forces expand their targeting to additional Iranian tankers. A confirmed Iranian attack on non-Iranian commercial shipping, or new U.S. strikes on further Iranian vessels, would move this from an exchange of threats and limited strikes toward a broader test of how much risk governments, shipowners and energy-importing countries are prepared to accept around one of the world’s key export routes.
Sources
- OSINT