US-Iran tanker strikes in Strait of Hormuz drive record US diesel prices
US Central Command disabled two Iranian oil tankers and destroyed a third after Iran's Revolutionary Guard fired ballistic missiles at a US aircraft carrier and destroyer in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran says it struck three more tankers and three US-linked vessels in response. US diesel hit a record $5.85 a gallon the same day.
Iran and the United States exchanged direct military strikes in the Strait of Hormuz over the weekend of September 5-6, 2026. Iran's Revolutionary Guard fired ballistic missiles, reportedly from Isfahan and Kerman, at a US aircraft carrier and navy destroyer; both evaded and no American personnel were hurt. US Central Command retaliated, permanently disabling the tankers M/T Downy off Kharg Island and M/T Stark 1 near Jask, and destroying the unladen tanker M/T Kylo in the Gulf of Oman after its crew was ordered to abandon ship. CENTCOM commander Admiral Brad Cooper said the strikes sent a deliberate cost message to Iran. Washington says the tankers were part of a network financing Iran's Revolutionary Guard. Iran's navy said it then struck three more tankers on what it called an unauthorized route through the strait, plus three US-linked vessels. The exchange is the latest escalation since the US and Israel opened their air war on Iran on February 28, 2026. Brent crude closed near a record $96.28 a barrel on Friday, up from about $70 before the war, and US diesel hit a record $5.85 a gallon the same day. A Reuters/Ipsos poll from late August found 63 percent of Americans oppose the war.