U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced Tuesday it destroyed five Iranian crude oil vessels in retaliation for targeting a U.S. Navy warship, but notably, four of the ships appear to have been sailing under the flags of random African and small island nations.
“Iran has used the tankers as part of a multibillion-dollar shadow network that funds the IRGC and its regional proxies,” a CENTCOM dispatch reads, announcing the names of the ships: M/T Kaviz, M/T Charminar, M/T Horizon 1, and M/T Riesco, which were struck in the Gulf of Oman, and M/T Derya, which was struck near Kharg Island.
