Iran said on Sunday that its forces had attacked a U.S. naval drone attempting to enter the Strait of Hormuz, hours after Iranian forces targeted ships in retaliation for American strikes on three oil tankers linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
The latest clashes come as the six-month conflict between Iran and the United States remains deadlocked. Iran has maintained its stranglehold over the strategic waterway, while Washington continues a counterblockade of Iranian ports and seeks to intensify economic pressure through sanctions against entities with financial links to the Islamic Republic.
The IRGC, the ideological arm of Iran’s military, said its forces had “attacked an American military unmanned surface vessel” attempting to enter the strait, according to a statement carried by Iranian state television. The claim marked another escalation in the confrontation over a waterway that has become central to the wider conflict.
Hours earlier, the IRGC said its naval forces had “targeted three oil tankers on the unauthorized route of the Strait of Hormuz and three vessels affiliated with the child-killing America in other areas”. It also warned ships against attempting to transit through routes it had not approved.
The attacks followed strikes by U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), which oversees American military operations in the region. On Saturday, CENTCOM said American forces had struck tankers linked to the IRGC after accusing the Iranian military organisation of unsuccessfully firing at U.S. warships.
“Following Iran’s failed attacks, CENTCOM permanently disabled the IRGC crude oil carriers M/T Downy off the coast of Kharg Island and M/T Stark 1 near Jask,” it said.
CENTCOM said American forces had also “completely destroyed” the unladen crude oil carrier M/T Kylo in the Gulf of Oman. The vessel was struck at multiple critical locations after its crew had been ordered to abandon ship, the command said. Video released by CENTCOM showed large fireballs and flames after projectiles struck the vessels.
According to CENTCOM, the three ships were part of a “multibillion-dollar shadow network that funds the IRGC and its regional proxies”. The IRGC, however, said the two American warships it had targeted were “forced to retreat” after “suffering damage”. CENTCOM rejected that account, saying the ships successfully evaded the Iranian attacks.
CENTCOM commander Adm. Brad Cooper said the American response was intended to impose a greater economic cost on Iran. “If you shoot at two of our ships, we will impose an even higher economic cost — taking out three of yours,” he said.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry condemned the U.S. strikes on the tankers as “illegal and aggressive actions”. Iranian state television reported that one tanker was empty while another was carrying oil, with crews transported to shore in lifeboats. A correspondent on Kharg Island said the attack there caused no casualties.
Iran’s Khatam-al Anbiya central military command warned that continued American attacks would trigger a harsher response. It said retaliation against U.S. warships would be “more severe than before, and there is a possibility of their expansion”.
The confrontation is unfolding as the Trump administration attempts to play down the significance of the conflict, which has become increasingly unpopular in the United States as midterm elections approach. Vice President JD Vance said he “wouldn’t call it a war”, while President Donald Trump described the conflict on Friday as “small potatoes” for Washington.
Iranian security chief Mohsen Rezaei warned last week that Tehran had adopted a “new strategy” against Washington that “will shatter your foundations”.
The United States has been increasing pressure on Tehran in an effort to wrestle control of the Strait of Hormuz, through which one-fifth of world oil supplies previously flowed. A fragile ceasefire collapsed in July following attacks on commercial ships in the strategic waterway.
Trump has repeatedly threatened in recent weeks to claim sovereignty over the strait, including posting a map depicting it as “new U.S. territory”. Vance has said Washington will not resume talks with Iran until Tehran ends attacks on commercial shipping in Hormuz, leaving the strategic waterway at the centre of an increasingly dangerous confrontation.
