Iran responds to U.S. with attacks on carrier and vessels in Strait of Hormuz

Iran said it had responded to U.S. attacks on three Iranian oil tankers by striking vessels in and around the Strait of Hormuz, sharply escalating the confrontation in one of the region’s most sensitive waterways.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it attacked three oil tankers traveling along “unauthorized routes” in the strait and three vessels linked to the United States in “other areas.” Iran’s Fars news agency reported that the Aerospace Force also used ballistic missiles against a U.S. aircraft carrier and a destroyer.

Iranian state broadcaster IRIB presented the strikes as retaliation for attacks by the U.S. military on three Iranian tankers earlier on Saturday. The report attributed the account to Iranian military sources and did not provide further details about the damage or casualties.

The Islamic Republic’s navy issued a warning to all ships in the Persian Gulf or near the Strait of Hormuz. Vessels were told to “refrain from any suspicious movement intended to transit unauthorized maritime routes,” or they would be attacked.

The reported U.S. attack followed ballistic missile launches by the Revolutionary Guard against two U.S. Navy warships, according to the source, placing the latest exchanges within a rapidly widening cycle of military action.

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refrain from any suspicious movement intended to transit unauthorized maritime routes. Otherwise, they will be attacked.