The Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) navy of Iran announced on Saturday that it had attacked three oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz along with three US-linked vessels in different locations, responding to US strikes on Iranian tankers earlier that day.
The IRGC stated that the three tankers hit in the strait were navigating through what it described as an "unauthorized" route, while the other three vessels were struck in other maritime regions, according to a statement on the IRGC's official news platform Sepah News.
The IRGC navy warned all ships near the Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz to avoid suspicious activities and unauthorized transit routes promoted by the US Army, cautioning that any such movements could result in targeting.
Earlier on Saturday, Iran's state media reported that three Iranian oil tankers were attacked by the US Army off Iran's southern coastlines.
In response to these incidents, Ebrahim Zolfaghari, spokesperson for Iran's main military command, Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, issued a warning to the United States against continuing its assaults and blockade of Iranian shipping.
Zolfaghari stated that if aggressions, harassment, and the naval blockade against Iranian vessels persisted, Iranian armed forces would intensify strikes on US military ships in the region, potentially expanding their scope.
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump indicated on Friday that the US military might soon target Pickaxe Mountain, a fortified Iranian site near the Natanz uranium enrichment facility, but downplayed the overall conflict with Iran as "small potatoes."
described the situation as a "military conflict" rather than a war, although his comments have varied, at times calling it a war but preferring the term military conflict to minimise its significance.
He emphasised that from the US perspective, the conflict was not a major issue, stating, "It's a military conflict, but it's very intermittent... It's small potatoes for us. It's not a big thing."
This tension follows US and Israeli strikes on Iran earlier this year on February 28, after which Tehran restricted the passage through the Strait of Hormuz for vessels linked to the US or Israel. Concurrently, US forces initiated a naval blockade targeting ships heading to or from Iranian ports and coastal waters.
