Iran Claims Attacks on US Vessels and Tankers Amid Gulf Escalation
Iran's Revolutionary Guard claimed it targeted two US vessels and eight oil tankers in the Gulf. This follows US strikes destroying Iranian tankers and rising oil prices.
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed on Wednesday that it targeted two American vessels and eight oil tankers in the Gulf in response to US strikes against Iranian tankers. According to the Iranian announcement, the operation targeted ten vessels that the IRGC claimed "incited and supported the US," causing them "extensive damage," CNBC reported.
According to the Revolutionary Guard, the attacked vessels attempted to cross an area in the Strait of Hormuz that Iran declared "forbidden and unsafe." The exchange of strikes between the US and Iran in the region comes against the backdrop of a renewed escalation around one of the world's most important oil shipping lanes, which pushed Brent crude oil prices toward $100 a barrel.
The Iranian claim follows an announcement by the US military on Tuesday that it destroyed five Iranian oil tankers in response to the Revolutionary Guard firing ballistic missiles twice at an American warship over the past two days. According to US Central Command (CENTCOM), the ship managed to evade the attacks, and there were no casualties among American forces.
Four of the tankers were targeted by the US in the Gulf of Oman—Kaviz, Charminar, Horizon 1, and Riesco—and another tanker, Derya, was struck near Iran's Kharg Island. According to CENTCOM, US forces ordered the crews to abandon the vessels prior to the strikes and subsequently neutralized the tankers.
Escalation in the Persian Gulf and New US Strategy
The US and Iran have exchanged further blows in the Persian Gulf in recent days following a period of relative calm, alongside a shift in the Trump administration's strategy, which seeks to increase economic pressure on Tehran. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi rejected the new US sanctions, claiming they are a repetition of a strategy that has already failed.
On Saturday, the US military already destroyed three Iranian tankers in response to ballistic missile fire by the Revolutionary Guard toward an American aircraft carrier and a guided-missile destroyer. According to CENTCOM, these strikes also did not hit the American vessels.
"The United States military remains postured and ready to defend its forces and ensure freedom of navigation in international waters," defense officials noted.
Capture of Unmanned Underwater Vehicle
Simultaneously, Iran announced this week that it seized a US military unmanned underwater vehicle in the Strait of Hormuz, describing it as one of the US military's most advanced unmanned vessels. The US responded that it was an underwater drone that suffered a malfunction, did not gather sensitive data, and did not carry classified sonar or radar equipment.
Iranian media identified the vehicle as the Dive-LD, an autonomous underwater vehicle developed by the American defense company Anduril. According to the company, the device was pre-designed to operate in hazardous environments where the possibility of loss is taken into account, aiming to minimize the risk to human forces in underwater missions.
