Iran has retaliated against the United States by targeting three oil tankers and attacking an American unmanned surface vessel attempting to enter the Strait of Hormuz, following US strikes that disabled three crude carriers linked by Washington to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
The latest escalation was reported on Sunday as the six-month conflict between Tehran and Washington remained deadlocked, with both sides expanding military and economic pressure around the strategic waterway.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said its naval forces first targeted three oil tankers travelling along what it described as an unauthorised route through the Strait of Hormuz. The Guards also claimed to have targeted three other vessels affiliated with the United States in separate locations.
Hours later, the IRGC said its forces attacked an American military unmanned surface vessel that was attempting to enter the Strait of Hormuz.
Iranian state television carried the IRGC statement, which described the vessel as an American military unmanned surface vessel. Tehran also warned ships against attempting to use routes through the strait that had not been approved by Iranian authorities.
The Iranian actions followed a US military operation announced on Saturday by US Central Command (CENTCOM).
CENTCOM said American forces had permanently disabled two crude oil carriers associated with the IRGC and destroyed a third vessel after Iran allegedly attempted to attack US warships.
The US command said the M/T Downy was disabled off the coast of Kharg Island, while the M/T Stark 1 was disabled near Jask. It said the unladen M/T Kylo was also attacked in the Gulf of Oman after its crew had been instructed to abandon the vessel.
CENTCOM said American forces struck the Kylo at multiple critical points to make it inoperable.
Footage released by CENTCOM showed large explosions and flames engulfing the vessels after they were struck.
The US military said the three tankers were part of a multibillion-dollar “shadow network” allegedly used to finance the IRGC and its regional proxies.
CENTCOM commander Admiral Brad Cooper said the strikes were intended to impose an economic cost on Iran after the alleged attacks on American warships.
“If you shoot at two of our ships, we will impose an even higher economic cost — taking out three of yours,” Cooper said.
Iran rejected Washington’s account of the naval confrontation.
The IRGC claimed the two US warships it targeted had been forced to retreat after sustaining damage. CENTCOM disputed the claim, saying the American vessels successfully evaded the Iranian attacks.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry condemned the American strikes on the tankers as “illegal and aggressive actions”.
Iranian state television reported from Jask that one of the tankers struck by US forces was empty while another was carrying oil. The crews were said to have abandoned the vessels in lifeboats and reached shore.
A separate Iranian state television correspondent on Kharg Island reported that the attack there caused no casualties.
Iran subsequently threatened to intensify its response if the United States continued attacking Iranian-linked vessels.
The Khatam-al Anbiya central military command warned that further US attacks would lead to retaliation against American warships that would be “more severe than before” and could expand.
The confrontation is unfolding as Washington attempts to challenge Iran’s control over the Strait of Hormuz while maintaining a counter-blockade of Iranian ports.
The strategic waterway previously carried about one-fifth of global oil supplies, making the continued disruption of shipping a major concern for international energy markets.
The United States has also increased economic pressure on Tehran by imposing sanctions on entities accused of maintaining financial links with Iran, as the Trump administration seeks to weaken the Islamic Republic’s ability to sustain the conflict.
The dispute over commercial shipping remains a major obstacle to renewed negotiations.
US Vice President JD Vance has said Washington will not reopen talks with Tehran until Iran stops attacking commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.
The latest exchange follows the collapse of a fragile ceasefire in July after attacks on commercial ships in the waterway.
President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened to assert US control over the Strait of Hormuz and recently posted a map depicting the strategic waterway as “new US territory”.
Despite the scale of the confrontation, the Trump administration has sought to downplay the conflict's significance domestically.
Vance said he “wouldn’t call it a war”, while Trump described the conflict on Friday as “small potatoes” for the United States.
Iranian officials have continued to signal a willingness to escalate.
Iranian Security Chief Mohsen Rezaei warned earlier in the week that Tehran had adopted a “new strategy” against Washington that he said would “shatter your foundations”.
The latest developments show the confrontation increasingly moving beyond direct exchanges between military forces, with oil tankers, shipping routes and unmanned maritime assets now forming part of the battlefield.
Iran's attack on the US unmanned surface vessel also adds a new dimension to the confrontation in the Strait of Hormuz, where Tehran is attempting to restrict maritime movement while Washington seeks to force greater access through the waterway.
With both sides warning of further retaliation, additional attacks on military vessels or commercial shipping could deepen the disruption around one of the world's most important energy corridors.