Iran has announced that it struck three oil tankers navigating through the Strait of Hormuz without its approval, along with several vessels linked to American interests, in retaliation for weekend attacks on Iranian tankers by US forces. Mohsen Rezaee, a senior Iranian security official, stated via Press TV that a new restricted zone beyond the Strait of Hormuz will be declared in the coming days. He described the area as extending "from the US Navy's blockade line into parts of the Persian Gulf waters" during a media interview.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy did not provide additional details on these strikes, and a Saturday evening Telegram post from the force failed to clarify whether the targeted ships were actually hit. The IRGC subsequently reported that it also attacked a US Navy drone and an American unmanned surface vessel attempting to enter the strait. No independent sources have yet confirmed further incidents around the waterway.
These IRGC announcements follow US military claims of striking three Iranian oil tankers and destroying one of them, a response to ballistic missile attacks by the Guard on two American naval destroyers. Video footage released by US Central Command on September 5, 2026, depicts the assault on an Iranian crude carrier.
The latest tit-for-tat strikes signal that the conflict launched by the US and Israel against Iran more than six months ago shows little sign of abating soon. US Energy Secretary Chris Wright indicated Washington would maintain its naval presence in the strait, including the maritime blockade aimed at curbing Iranian oil exports and efforts to safeguard safe passage for other commercial vessels. "This shouldn't just be America's responsibility, but until Iran changes its stance or its government, we will have to keep dealing with them," he said Sunday on CNN. Wright declined to specify which nations might join the operation, noting that the US Navy remains the pivotal force. "Yes, it is the US Navy that is securing the oil shipments," he added in a Fox News appearance.
Traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, the vital waterway connecting the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman, remains sparse, with Kpler data showing only one large cargo vessel transiting on Saturday. Iran's Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who previously led ceasefire negotiations, warned Sunday that the era of "proportional responses" has concluded. "America must realize before it is too late that the rules of the game have changed," Ghalibaf wrote in a post, adding that "any aggression against Iran's interests and security from now on will be met with faster, stronger, and more painful responses."
US Central Command reported Saturday that among the tankers it targeted, the Suezmax vessel Kylo sank in the Gulf of Oman, the Suezmax tanker Stark I lost propulsion in the same area, and the very large crude carrier Downy became incapacitated near Iran's Kharg Island oil export hub in the Persian Gulf. The command said it had notified Kylo's crew to abandon ship before the strike, and shipping data shows the vessel was not carrying crude at the time of the attack. The IRGC Navy reiterated in its post a warning to vessels against using unauthorised routes through the waterway.