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September 5, 2026

2 entries on this date.

U.S. Central Command struck three Iranian oil tankers after Iran fired missiles at Navy warships, continuing war-powers-defiant Iran campaign

On September 5, 2026, U.S. Central Command struck three Iranian oil tankers — near Kharg Island, near Jask, and in the Gulf of Oman — after Iran fired ballistic missiles at a U.S. aircraft carrier and destroyer patrolling the region; both U.S. ships evaded the missiles and no personnel were hurt. CENTCOM permanently disabled two of the tankers and destroyed the third, with CENTCOM commander Adm. Brad Cooper saying on the record the U.S. would "destroy Iran's limited and exposed oil fleet" if necessary. The strikes continued a military campaign against Iran that has proceeded without new congressional authorization since Congress's June 2026 War Powers Resolution directed the president to end hostilities.

U.S. Southern Command destroyed multi-vessel Ecuadorian refueling station over unproven Los Choneros ties, fourth such strike in eight days

On September 5, 2026, U.S. Southern Command's Joint Task Force Western Hemisphere interdicted and destroyed a multi-vessel floating refueling station -- a main vessel and its attached support boats -- in international waters of the eastern Pacific, again alleging without independently disclosed evidence that it supported Los Choneros, a group the U.S. has designated a foreign terrorist organization. U.S. forces removed the main vessel's occupants and transferred them to Ecuadorian authorities before sinking it and the support vessels. It was the fourth of five such interdictions SOUTHCOM carried out under this capture-and-transfer pattern between August 28 and September 7, 2026, and the only one to destroy more than one vessel in a single operation.