The United States and Iran carry out reciprocal attacks on oil tankers near the Strait of Hormuz, in the latest escalation in their wider confrontation. US officials say the military strikes three Iranian crude oil tankers, while Iran’s statements say it targets three US-linked ships taking an “unauthorized” route through the strait.

Outlets describe the episode as part of a broader pattern of tit-for-tat actions affecting shipping. Reuters reports Iran says it attacks multiple ships after the US sinks several Iranian tankers, calling it the biggest declared wave since the war began. NBC and NPR similarly frame the attacks as a renewal of hostilities connected to earlier Iranian moves.

Several reports link the tanker strikes to a prior incident involving Iranian ballistic missile attacks on two US Navy warships. US and Iranian accounts differ on the number of ships involved and the routes they describe, but they broadly agree the attacks are retaliatory and concentrated around the Strait of Hormuz and nearby waters, disrupting commercial shipping.