Iran says it struck US ships and oil tankers in Hormuz in retaliation for US strikes

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said on Wednesday it had struck two US ships and eight oil tankers in the Persian Gulf, in retaliation for a US attack on five Iranian tankers.

The announcement marks the latest deal in a conflict that has sent Brent crude to nearly $100 a barrel as both sides trade blows over one of the world’s most important oil corridors.

According to a statement published by the semi-official Tasnim news agency, the IRGC said the targeted vessels were attempting to cross the Strait of Hormuz area, which it described as “forbidden and unsafe.”

The U.S. military destroyed five Iranian crude oil tankers on Tuesday in response to the IRGC firing ballistic missiles at a U.S. warship twice in the past two days, according to U.S. Central Command.

The US warship successfully evaded the Iranian attack and no US personnel were harmed, Centcom said in a statement.

US forces struck four tankers in the Gulf of Oman, Centcom said. These are M/T Kaviz, M/T Charminar, M/T Horizon 1 and M/T Riesco. The military attacked the ship “Derya” near the Iranian island of Kharg.

“US forces have ordered the crews to abandon ship before the vessels are hit and disabled,” Centcom said.

The United States and Iran have exchanged new attacks in the Persian Gulf in recent days, reigniting hostilities in the region even as the Trump administration shifts its strategy toward defeating Tehran economically.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, in a post on the X website late Tuesday, called the US sanctions a repeat of a failed strategy. “After Washington failed to achieve its goals through sanctions or war, Washington’s “new” solution was… new sanctions. Seriously?”

On Saturday, the U.S. military destroyed three Iranian tankers in retaliation for the Guard firing ballistic missiles at an aircraft carrier and a guided-missile destroyer. According to Centcom, these attacks were also unsuccessful.

Earlier Tuesday, Centcom said the unmanned underwater vehicle reportedly captured by Iran in the Strait of Hormuz was “malfunctioning” and was not carrying any sensitive data or sensitive equipment.

“An underwater drone operated by U.S. forces malfunctioned more than 24 hours ago,” U.S. Navy Capt. Tim Hawkins told CNBC in a statement released by U.S. Central Command.

The drone was “surveying regional waters in support of ongoing operations,” Hawkins said, adding that “U.S. operations in local waters continue.”

Earlier on Tuesday, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard boasted that it had caught and captured “one of the most advanced, intelligent, unmanned submarines of the American terrorist army at the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz,” according to a translation of a report by Iranian state news agency Fars.

Fars later published videos and images of the ship emerging from the water.

However, Hawkins’ statement argues that the drone is unlikely to be an important piece of advanced military technology.

“The faulty drone was an older model that did not collect sensitive data and did not have any sensitive sonar or radar equipment,” the captain said in a statement.

Iranian media described the submarine as Dive-LD, an autonomous underwater vehicle developed by US defense contractor Anduril. They cost $2.5 million each in 2024, according to DefenseScoop.

“Dive-LD is a self-contained autonomous system, meaning it is designed from the outset to operate in hazardous environments where the likelihood of vehicle loss is expected,” an Anduril spokesperson told CNBC when asked about the drone hijacking. “Its goal is to keep fighters away from the most dangerous areas of the underwater mission. This machine has already provided significant value, logging thousands of hours in month-long operations at CENTCOM.”

The focus on the jet ski represents the latest example of the U.S. military’s growing reliance on autonomous technology to wage war in the Middle East.

This summer, self-driving boat startup Saronic used one of its drones to rescue crew from a helicopter downed in the Strait of Hormuz. Saronic’s boats were later used in a strike against an Iranian submarine and naval facility.

— CNBC Samantha Subin contributed to this report.