Iran Claims It Hit the USS George Washington. CENTCOM Says Zero Hits, Then Destroyed Three Iranian Tankers

Iran's state media is telling its public that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps struck a US aircraft carrier in the Strait of Hormuz. The Pentagon says that's false, and the receipts it posted show three destroyed Iranian oil tankers instead.

According to Iran's Fars News Agency and IRNA, the IRGC fired ballistic missiles on Saturday, September 5, at US Navy warships operating near the Strait of Hormuz, with the USS George Washington (CVN-73) as the primary target. Iranian coverage claimed missiles were fired at two US warships and framed the launch as retaliation for what Tehran calls an illegal US naval blockade of its shipping lanes, an operation the American military has named Project Freedom.

US Central Command's account is flatly different. CENTCOM says the aircraft carrier and an accompanying guided-missile destroyer evaded multiple incoming missiles, with zero damage and zero American casualties. Breitbart reported that CENTCOM did not identify the destroyer specifically, but noted the George Washington is currently sailing with a single destroyer escort, making it the likely target alongside the carrier.

The US answer: three tankers hit

Within hours, American forces struck three Iranian crude oil tankers. CENTCOM said it permanently disabled the M/T Downy near Kharg Island, Iran's primary oil-loading facility, and the M/T Stark 1 near the port city of Jask. A third vessel, the M/T Kylo (also identified as the M/T Noxen), was destroyed outright in the Gulf of Oman after its crew was ordered to abandon ship, according to Task & Purpose.

CENTCOM commander Adm. Brad Cooper put the retaliation in blunt terms in a statement on X: "If you shoot at two of our ships, we will impose an even higher economic cost, taking out three of yours." Cooper added that the three tankers were part of "a multibillion-dollar shadow network that funds the IRGC and its regional proxies."

Video released by CENTCOM, described by Task & Purpose, shows the Kylo being hit in multiple waves, including one strike near the waterline. Crew casualty figures from the tanker strikes remain unclear. Iran's Tasnim news agency reported explosions near Kharg Island and said an oil tanker was hit by four US missiles, but reported no casualties from that specific strike.

Iranian state media also claimed, separately and later on Saturday, that Tehran had launched a further retaliatory operation targeting three vessels along the Omani shipping route and three additional US ships. The National Security Journal noted that claim has not been independently confirmed by any Western source.

Neither side's claim is fully verifiable

Nobody outside CENTCOM and the IRGC can independently confirm what actually happened to the George Washington. CENTCOM's "zero hits" claim rests on the US military's own damage assessment. Iran's "successful strike" claim rests on the IRGC's own combat reporting. National Security Journal pointed out that Iranian outlets have made similar claims about hitting US carriers earlier in 2026, and CENTCOM issued categorical denials each time. That pattern doesn't prove Saturday's claim is false, but it is a track record of note.

Three Iranian tankers are now disabled or destroyed, and the strike on the Downy near Kharg Island represents a notable escalation. National Security Journal reported Kharg Island handled roughly 90% of Iranian crude exports before the war began and had largely been spared direct US strikes, with President Trump reportedly holding it in reserve as leverage.

The bigger economic picture

Three days before the Saturday exchange, on Wednesday, September 2, President Trump announced what he called on X the "MOST CRUSHING ECONOMIC OPERATION EVER TAKEN AGAINST ANY COUNTRY," according to Fox News. Trump threatened "TREMENDOUS Economic Consequences" for any nation or company providing Iran a financial lifeline, listing oil smuggling, swap lines, cash transfers and ship registries as targets. The same day, the United Arab Emirates suspended all financial and economic transactions with Iran, and Brent crude settled at $91.62 a barrel, its highest close since July 24, according to Reuters figures cited by Fox News.

NPR, reporting through the Associated Press, placed that same Wednesday bombardment in a harsher light. Iranian officials said the strikes included a deadly hit on a wedding party, and Iran retaliated by firing missiles at American bases in Jordan that were intercepted. NPR also reported Iran's currency hit a fresh record low that day, trading at 2.20 million rials to the dollar, a 10% jump from the prior week's record. Hamidreza Azizi of the Crisis Group told NPR that "at some point, one of the sides may see a need to escalate in order to break this cycle," warning it could tip toward full-scale war.

What's next

The war has run since February 28, 2026, following US and Israeli strikes on Iranian targets, and NPR reports it has already become a political liability for Trump's party ahead of the November midterms as oil prices climb. With CENTCOM signaling it will now directly target Iran's tanker fleet rather than just its blockade enforcement, and Iran claiming an unconfirmed second wave of strikes on US and allied shipping, the immediate open question is whether Washington follows through on Kharg Island's onshore infrastructure, something National Security Journal reports Trump has repeatedly threatened but has so far held back.