Hegseth threatens to target Iranian oil tankers if Iran attacks US ships

Hegseth said, in a post on the “X” platform, that the United States will respond by targeting Iranian oil tankers if its ships are attacked, adding that Iran should avoid shooting at American naval vessels.

The US Secretary of War referred to what he described as the weak defensive capabilities of the Iranian fleet of oil tankers, claiming that these ships lack adequate protection from the Iranian naval and air forces.

Hegseth added that American planes, ships and submarines are capable of targeting Iranian oil tankers within the scope of operations of the US Central Command (CENTCOM) and the US Command in the Indo-Pacific region.

Hegseth's post coincided with his republishing of a statement issued by US Central Command, sending a message to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, hinting at imposing an economic cost on Tehran if American ships were targeted.

The message stated that targeting two American ships would be matched by targeting three Iranian ships, stressing that the American forces would not hesitate to defend their personnel and interests, and that they were ready, if necessary, to target what it described as the limited Iranian fleet.