US claims strikes on three Iranian oil tankers after attacks

The US has destroyed three Iranian oil tankers in response to attempted missile attacks on naval vessels. According to the US Central Command, an aircraft carrier and guided-missile destroyer evaded "multiple unprovoked Iranian attacks".

The incident is the latest exchange of fire between the US and Iran, which have been deadlocked in a conflict for six months. Iran has maintained a stranglehold on the Strait of Hormuz.

The clashes come after a period of relative calm in the US-Iran conflict, which had been ongoing for a month prior to the recent hostilities. US President Donald Trump had sought to minimise the conflict as "small potatoes" a day before the incident.

Brief written by urgent.news from Punch, Al-Monitor, The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald, Haaretz — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.