Iran missile strikes on US oil tanker in Persian Gulf

Iranian state media reported on Thursday that a United States oil tanker was hit by a missile in the Persian Gulf, in what Tehran described as its latest attack targeting the region’s energy sector.

According to a statement from Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, the vessel “was hit by a missile in the north of the Persian Gulf” and “is currently on fire.” The incident has not yet been independently verified.

The report comes as tensions in the Middle East escalate, with the Revolutionary Guards claiming they now have “full control” of the Strait of Hormuz, a key maritime corridor linking the Gulf to the Indian Ocean and a crucial route for global oil shipments.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi issued a sharp warning against the United States, alleging that Washington had recently sunk an Iranian naval ship near Sri Lanka, thousands of miles from Iranian waters. “The US has perpetrated an atrocity at sea, 2,000 miles away from Iran’s shores. Frigate Dena, a guest of India’s Navy carrying almost 130 sailors, was struck in international waters without warning,” Araghchi wrote on X.

He further cautioned that the US would “bitterly regret the precedent it has set,” heightening concerns about regional security and the safety of global energy routes.

The claims add to existing tensions surrounding the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow but vital shipping corridor through which a significant portion of the world’s oil supply passes.