Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has claimed that its forces carried out ballistic missile strikes on two US Navy destroyers.
In a statement issued by the IRGC Public Relations Office and reported by Iran’s state media, the force said the strikes were conducted as part of an operation codenamed "Ya Haidar Karrar".
The IRGC said the operation was launched in response to what it described as U.S. attacks and harassment of Iranian oil tankers and vessels.
“The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Airspace Forces carried out a ballistic missile attack on the DDG-119 and DDG-53 warships, equipped with Aegis systems and cruise missiles,” the statement reads.
The IRGC claimed that the ballistic missile strikes inflicted significant damage on both destroyers. Iran's officials did not provide further details on the type or extent of the alleged damage.
The two hull numbers the IRGC cited correspond to US Navy Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers. DDG 119 is USS Delbert D. Black, while DDG 53 is USS John Paul Jones. Both ships are equipped with the Aegis combat system and are designed to perform a range of missions, including air and missile defense and surface warfare.
The IRGC statement also warned that Iran’s armed forces remained prepared to respond to what Tehran described as further US actions and cautioned against what it called enemy “miscalculations.”
Meanwhile, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) reported it has destroyed five Iranian crude oil carriers after the IRGC targeted a US Navy warship with ballistic missiles twice over the past two days.
The US warship successfully evaded the attempted Iranian attacks and continued to patrol regional waters. No American personnel were harmed, the officials said.
Specifically, CENTCOM destroyed the IRGC crude oil carriers M/T Kaviz, M/T Charminar, M/T Horizon 1, and M/T Riesco in the Gulf of Oman as well as M/T Derya near Kharg Island. American forces directed the crews to abandon ship before the vessels were struck and rendered inoperable.
A few days ago, on September 5, CENTCOM forces destroyed three Iranian crude oil carriers after the IRGC tried to attack a US aircraft carrier and guided-missile destroyer.