Iran Says U.S. Damaged Tankers Near Hormuz, Claims Retaliatory Strikes on Six Vessels
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard says U.S. forces damaged three Iranian oil tankers near the Strait of Hormuz and that it hit three tankers and three U.S.-linked vessels in response, amid separate drone attacks on what it calls unauthorized ships and new warnings against any suspicious movements in Gulf waters.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard is accusing U.S. forces of attacking Iranian oil tankers near the Strait of Hormuz and says it has already hit back against commercial shipping, sharpening the risk for vessels moving through one of the world’s key energy corridors.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy said U.S. forces attacked three Iranian oil tankers near the Strait of Hormuz, causing damage. The IRGC said it responded by targeting three tankers it accused of using unauthorized routes and three U.S.-linked vessels elsewhere. It warned that ships in the Persian Gulf and near the Strait of Hormuz that it deems to be engaged in suspicious movements or using unauthorized waterways could come under attack.
Separate open-source weapons reporting said the IRGC Navy struck what it described as unauthorized vessels in the Strait of Hormuz using what appeared to be “Raad-3” or “Rezvan” loitering munitions—kamikaze drones equipped with thermal sights. The IRGC also released video it said showed the monitoring and interception of vessels involved in violations, and said U.S. protection and escort for ships in the area amounted to a deception.
Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya headquarters framed the confrontation as a response to U.S. actions following an attack on Iranian tankers earlier in the day, warning that if what it called hostile and harmful American behavior toward Iran and the security of navigation continues, further attacks could follow. The Iranian Revolutionary Guards separately claimed to have attacked three oil tankers and three American vessels in response to a U.S. strike on three Iranian oil tankers.
There has been no immediate independent confirmation of the IRGC’s account of the initial U.S. strike or of the full extent of damage to the commercial fleet. The combination of tanker damage claims, drone use against alleged violators, and broad warnings about suspicious activity raises the risk calculus for shipowners, crews, and insurers operating in and around the Strait of Hormuz.
The clearest signs of where this standoff goes next will come from any detailed U.S. military account of the incidents, changes in naval escort and patrol patterns, reported diversions or delays of tankers in the region, and whether insurers or operators adjust premiums and routing for voyages that pass through the Persian Gulf and Hormuz.
Sources
- OSINT