Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth made a strong public statement against Iran on Saturday.He posted on X, telling Iran that if its forces attack American warships, the U.S.will destroy and sink their oil tankers.Hegseth said Iran has a simple choice to make.
“I’m telling Iran this: if they shoot at U.S.
ships, we will destroy (and sink) their oil tankers.All they have to do is not shoot at @USNavy,” Hegseth wrote.He added that Iran’s oil tankers are not protected — Iran doesn’t have a strong navy or air force.The U.S.has the power to strike them all with its planes, ships, and submarines, he said, posting the message on September 5, 2026, at 10:36 a.m.
Hegseth’s message came just an hour after U.S.
Central Command issued a similar warning from Admiral Brad Cooper, the head of Centcom.Cooper directly addressed Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), saying, “If you shoot at two of our ships, we will impose a higher economic cost — taking out three of yours.We will not hesitate to defend American forces, and if needed, destroy Iran’s oil fleet,” Cooper said, as posted by Centcom at 9:43 a.m.
By sharing and expanding on Cooper’s warning, Hegseth showed strong support from the Pentagon’s top civilian leader, showing that Centcom’s commander had the backing of the defense secretary.
Both leaders focused on the same fact: Iran can’t defend its oil fleet against U.S.military power.
The warnings weren’t just words.
Earlier that day, Centcom said that U.S.forces had already attacked three Iranian oil tankers as retaliation for Iran’s attempted attacks on two U.S.warships with ballistic missiles.One tanker was permanently damaged near Kharg Island, another was hit near Jask, and a third, which was empty of oil, was completely destroyed in the Gulf of Oman after its crew was told to leave.
Iran’s state media confirmed the attacks near Kharg Island and Jask, though no one was hurt.
Centcom called the tankers part of a “multibillion-dollar shadow network” that supports the IRGC and other groups linked to Iran.
Iran did not stay quiet.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it targeted six ships in retaliation — three oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz and three other vessels it said were connected to the U.S.The Guards said the tankers were traveling along an unauthorized route in the Strait of Hormuz.The U.S.military hasn’t confirmed the attack yet.
Iran’s forces haven’t admitted to attacking any U.S.
warships, but they warned in a statement that their strikes on American “military vessels” would get worse and spread if the U.S.keeps targeting Iranian ships and blocking Iranian ports.
The Strait of Hormuz is again at the center of this conflict.
The waterway, which lies along Iran’s southern coast, was once a major route for oil and other goods.But after the U.S.and Israel attacked Iran earlier this year, Iran has tried to control it more.In response, the U.S.Navy now escorts ships through a different route near Oman — a move that has drawn Iranian retaliation.Two oil tankers were hit within minutes of each other while trying to go through the strait, according to the Times.
This week’s attacks followed about a month of relative calm, which ended in late August with U.S.
and Iranian forces exchanging fire.This week’s attacks were one of the most intense in weeks, with the U.S.launching multiple strikes after Iranian attacks on ships and U.S.personnel in the area.
Some analysts said this pattern is similar to what the Trump administration has seen over the past six months, even though the administration has tried to move away from direct military strikes toward economic pressure to cut off Iran’s funding.
Not all of the recent strikes were aimed at military or economic targets.
One U.S.attack hit a wedding in southern Iran, killing five people and injuring many others, according to Iranian officials.The incident highlighted the human cost of the ongoing conflict.
Just a day before Hegseth and Cooper’s warnings, President Trump made another threatening statement.
On Friday, he said the U.S.might strike Pickaxe Mountain, a suspected Iranian nuclear site, “very soon.” This added another layer of tension to the already unstable situation in the Gulf.
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Donald Trump and his dumb ass Security of Defense Pete Hagseth needs to be replaced before it is too late for the USA, I think these idiots want to start a World War three.