Iran claims to have struck US oil tanker, hours after Israel launched a fresh attack on Tehran

LAST UPDATE | 13 hrs ago

IRAN CLAIMS IT has struck a US oil tanker in the Gulf with a missile this morning, in what would be the latest attack on energy infrastructure as the conflict in the region escalates.

Iranian state television reports that the ship “was hit by a missile in the north of the Persian Gulf” and “is currently on fire”, according to Iran’s Revolutionary Guards (IRG).

The incident, which has not been independently confirmed, came as the IRG claimed they had “full control” of the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway connecting the Gulf to the Indian Ocean through which around a fifth of the world’s crude oil passes.

A second Iranian warship was reported to be heading towards Sri Lanka’s territorial waters today, a day after a US submarine destroyed an Iranian frigate off the country’s southern coast.

Sri Lanka’s media minister Nalinda Jayatissa told parliament the vessel was just outside Sri Lankan waters, but gave no further details.

Official sources said the ship was carrying more than 100 crew members and there were fears it could be targeted in the same way a sister vessel was sunk on Wednesday.

Sri Lanka’s navy recovered 87 bodies of sailors from the Iranian warship following the torpedo attack claimed by the US military.

Thirty-two sailors were rescued and taken to hospital for treatment, while dozens remain missing.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi earlier described the attack as “an atrocity at sea”, warning that the United States would “bitterly regret the precedent it has set”.

The naval confrontation came as the war sparked by a joint US–Israel attack on Iran continued to spread across the Middle East.

Fresh explosions were reported in Iran’s capital Tehran this morning after the Israeli military said it had begun a new large-scale wave of strikes targeting infrastructure linked to the Iranian regime.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said the latest operation targeted sites across Tehran, describing it as an additional wave of attacks.

“A short while ago the IDF began a large-scale wave of strikes against infrastructure of the Iranian terror regime across Tehran,” the military said in a statement.

Local media in Iran reported a series of blasts in the capital and surrounding areas.

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The Fars news agency said an explosion was heard in western Tehran, while the Shargh and Iran newspapers reported at least one blast in the nearby city of Karaj.

This morning, Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz said his US counterpart Pete Hegseth assured him of Washington’s firm backing for their joint military campaign against Iran and urged him to continue the operation “to the end”.

“The Secretary of Defence said: ‘Keep going to the end – we are with you,’” Katz said, referring to an overnight conversation between the two, according to a statement issued by the Israeli minister’s office.

Earlier, the Israeli military said it had carried out a separate series of strikes in Beirut targeting “command centres” belonging to the Hezbollah militant group.

The IDF said Israeli fighter jets struck several sites linked to Hezbollah, including a command centre used by the group’s aerial unit.

It said the facilities were intended to be used to plan attacks against Israeli troops and civilians.

Israeli troops entered southern Lebanon yesterday, and issued evacuation orders for thousands of Lebanese residents.

Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reported several strikes in the country early this morning, including two in the Hezbollah stronghold of southern Beirut.

The agency said an Israeli strike on an apartment in the Beddawi Palestinian refugee camp near Tripoli killed at least two people and injured another. A separate drone strike on a vehicle in southern Lebanon reportedly killed three people.

Israel has not confirmed involvement in those particular incidents.

Lebanese authorities say Israeli strikes have killed at least 75 people and displaced tens of thousands in recent days.

The war is also affecting travel across the Middle East. Thousands of people have been left stranded due to widespread flight cancellations.

Here, Irish citizens began arriving home from Dubai on the first commercial flight to Dublin since the conflict began.

Nearly 400 passengers landed at Dublin Airport late last night after several days of disruption.

The government has said it plans to charter additional flights from the region in the coming days to help Irish citizens return home.

Additional reporting from AFP.

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