Iranian media report US strike on oil tanker near Kharg Island

Iranian media have reported that US forces struck an Iranian oil tanker near Kharg Island, close to the Strait of Hormuz, on Saturday morning. Initial accounts mention several explosions and say the crew is being evacuated. According to the same reports, no casualties have been confirmed so far.

Neither Washington nor Tehran has yet issued an official response. The incident comes one day after reports that Iran launched anti-ship missiles at vessels in the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian outlets did not say what the targets were or whether any damage was caused.

The latest escalation follows a resumption of hostilities last Sunday, when US forces attacked Iranian rocket launchers in the strategic waterway, a crucial transit route for energy supplies and a focal point of talks between the two countries since the war with Iran began in late February.

US Central Command (CENTCOM) said at the time that it had taken “limited, precise action” against Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) mine-laying forces, describing them as an “imminent threat” in the waterway. The IRGC acknowledged that its positions on Larak Island had been hit and promised retaliation, later launching its own attacks on US bases across the Middle East.

On Tuesday, CENTCOM carried out another wave of strikes, saying it targeted IRGC air-defence sites, mine-laying capabilities, radar systems, maritime assets and communication infrastructure. The command described the operation as a response to “recent attempted attacks by the IRGC against commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.”