U.S. says it struck two Iran-flagged oil tankers trying to skirt blockade

A screengrab from a video released by U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), which accompanied a press release describing the operation dubbed "Epic Fury", an attack by the United States and Israel on Iran, shows a flight deck crew member signaling an F‑35 jet on an aircraft carrier, in this image obtained from social media released on Feb. 28, 2026. The U.S. military said it struck two Iran-flagged unladen oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman on Friday, preventing the vessels from entering an Iranian port in violation of a U.S. naval blockade. A U.S. fighter jet "disabled both tankers after firing precision munitions into their smokestacks," U.S. Central Command said in a statement, which included unclassified video of both strikes. The attack was the latest in a number of military actions this week that have further undermined the U.S.'s tattered ceasefire with Iran, even as President Donald Trump insists the temporary truce remains in effect.