Tankers sunk, missiles fired: US-Iran war erupts across Hormuz

The Iran crisis moved into a more dangerous phase on September 6 as U.S. and Iranian forces exchanged attacks around the Strait of Hormuz, while Israel launched a new wave of strikes in southern Lebanon.

Oil tankers became direct targets in the latest confrontation. Washington and Tehran exchanged fire near the strategically important waterway, and the United States targeted three Iranian tankers. The U.S. Central Command later released video that it said showed the Iranian tanker M/T Kilo sinking to the seafloor in the Gulf of Oman after an American strike. CENTCOM attributed the result to the precision of U.S. forces.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it had targeted three tankers accused of using an “illegitimate” route, as well as three U.S. boats. The IRGC also said it fired several ballistic missiles toward a U.S. aircraft carrier and a Navy vessel. Iran said the American ships had harassed Iranian vessels and formed part of a naval blockade.

The incidents add to a series of confrontations in the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most strategically important maritime passages. At the same time, Israel attacked Nabatieh al-Fawqa, Kfar Rumman and Arabsalim in southern Lebanon. Israel said the strikes retaliated for suspected Hezbollah fire involving two drones aimed at its forces. The Israeli army warned civilians to leave before striking a building in Arabsalim.

The simultaneous attacks in Hormuz and Lebanon point to a broader regional confrontation involving naval operations, ballistic missiles and cross-border strikes. The escalation also carries a domestic political dimension in the United States as President Donald Trump approaches the congressional midterm elections.

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