US targets three Iranian oil vessels after attack on Navy ships

US forces struck three Iranian oil vessels on Saturday after ballistic missiles were launched at two US Navy ships, according to US Central Command.

CENTCOM said one of the vessels was targeted off the coast of Kharg Island, near Iran's main oil export hub.

Admiral Brad Cooper, head of US Central Command, said the strikes were carried out after Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps targeted the two American warships.

CENTCOM said no US personnel were harmed.

The latest exchange came amid heightened tensions in the region, more than six months after the US and Israel launched strikes on Iran in February.

Kharg Island was responsible for around 90 per cent of Iran's crude oil exports before the conflict, although flows have been disrupted since the US imposed a blockade on Iranian oil exports in April.

US President Donald Trump has previously raised the possibility of military action against Kharg Island. On August 31, he posted an AI-generated video depicting the island being destroyed.

The Strait of Hormuz has faced significant disruption during the conflict. Before the war, the waterway carried around a fifth of global oil supplies.

Brent crude futures closed on Friday at $96.28 a barrel, their highest level since July 24, amid concerns over energy supplies.