Iran says it attacked U.S.-linked vessels in response to earlier American strikes

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said Saturday that they had targeted three oil tankers and three vessels linked to the United States in retaliation for earlier American attacks on Iranian tankers.

The Guards said on Telegram that they had “targeted three tankers on the unauthorized route through the Strait of Hormuz and three affiliated vessels.” They also warned other ships not to use routes that Iran has not approved.

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targeted three tankers on the unauthorized route through the Strait of Hormuz and three affiliated vessels

The U.S. military said its forces attacked three Iranian tankers after American naval warships came under ballistic-missile fire. It warned that, if necessary, it would destroy Iran’s “limited and vulnerable oil fleet.” The military said a U.S. aircraft carrier and destroyer evaded “multiple unprovoked Iranian attacks” while patrolling the region and that no American personnel were injured.

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if necessary, destroy Iran’s limited and vulnerable oil fleet

According to the U.S. statement, two Iranian tankers were “permanently immobilized,” while a third, which was not carrying cargo, was destroyed. Washington described the vessels as part of a clandestine network that helps finance Iran’s powerful Revolutionary Guards and allied armed groups in the region.

An Iranian joint military command spokesman later warned that attacks on U.S. military vessels would become more severe if Washington continued interfering with Iranian shipping, Iranian state television reported. Experts described the exchange as a dangerous escalation following earlier Iranian attacks on commercial vessels at sea.

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multiple unprovoked Iranian attacks

The latest clashes came a day after President Donald Trump sought to play down the conflict as “no big deal.” The confrontation follows six months of intermittent war that began with U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran on Feb. 28. Both sides have sought to inflict military and economic damage, while negotiations have failed. Danny Citrinowicz, an Iran expert at Israel’s Institute for National Security Studies, said Iran’s reported ballistic-missile attack on a U.S. aircraft carrier suggested Tehran was increasingly willing to accept risks it had previously avoided.

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no big deal