US and Iran trade retaliatory attacks on ships as conflict flares

In the latest escalation of conflict between the United States and Iran, the two nations engaged in retaliatory attacks on ships on Saturday. This skirmish follows a week of fighting that began after a month of relative peace. The US military claimed to have "permanently disabled" two Iran-linked oil tankers, and "destroyed" a third, near Kharg Island.

Iran's state media confirmed the strikes and reported that Tehran had targeted three US-affiliated vessels, along with three oil tankers traversing the Strait of Hormuz via an "unauthorized" route. The exact details of Iran's response are currently unverified, as the BBC has reached out to US Central Command (Centcom) for further information.

The recent attacks came a day after President Donald Trump downplayed the conflict, stating it was "small potatoes" and expressing little progress towards resolving the six-month war. He has not yet commented on the recent retaliatory actions. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth had earlier tweeted that if Iran shot at US ships, the US would "destroy (and sink) their oil tankers."

According to Centcom, two US warships were previously targeted by Iran, but they "successfully evaded" multiple attacks from the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) earlier in the day. These strikes targeted a US aircraft carrier and a guided-missile destroyer, thankfully without any harm to American troops. Centcom maintains that the three Iranian oil tankers struck were part of a multi-billion-dollar network supporting the IRGC and its regional proxies.

Iran's state media outlet Irib reported no casualties in the US attack on the tanker near Kharg Island. The two tanker crews were rescued via lifeboats; one tanker was empty, while the other was transporting oil. Later, Irib reported Iran's IRGC retaliating against six ships in the region, including three oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz and three US-affiliated vessels elsewhere.

The IRGC stated that these three oil tankers were using "unauthorized" routes through the strait and warned against their use. The Strait of Hormuz, vital to the global oil and gas industry, has been largely closed since the war began in February, becoming a significant leverage point for Iran. Iran insists it will not cede control over the waterway and has targeted vessels using a southern route through Omani territory, which circumvents Iran's preferred approach.

Despite the Iranian attacks, Trump affirmed the strait's "open" status, while the US military has been assisting ships in navigating the southern route. Earlier, the US resumed attacks on February 22, striking two rocket launchers to prevent their use in laying naval mines in the Strait of Hormuz. On February 23, Trump announced a "very heavy attack," but claimed the renewed hostilities would not persist "too long."

The strikes triggered Iran's retaliation, which extended to targets in the UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Jordan. On February 25, US Vice-President JD Vance expressed skepticism regarding claims that American strikes killed at least four individuals, including two children, during a wedding in southern Iran. Vance stated he was "extremely skeptical" of the reports but confirmed the US would conduct an investigation.

The Iranian Red Crescent Society claimed shrapnel from a missile struck a wedding ceremony in Sirik, leading Tehran to label the incident a "war crime."