U.S. downplays Iran's seizure of unmanned sub in Hormuz Strait
Tensions have escalated in the Persian Gulf as the U.S. and Iran engage in a series of retaliatory strikes against oil tankers and military vessels. The U.S. military has destroyed several Iranian tankers following missile attacks on American warships, further destabilizing the region.
Why it matters
The conflict threatens global oil supply chains and risks a broader military confrontation in a critical maritime corridor.
Iran's Revolutionary Guards Corps said Wednesday they struck two American vessels and eight oil tankers in the Gulf, retaliating against the U.S. for destroying five Iranian tankers.
The claim marks the latest exchange in a conflict that has pushed Brent crude to near $100 a barrel , as the two sides traded strikes along one of the world's most critical oil corridors.
The IRGC said the targeted vessels had attempted to cross an area of the Hormuz Strait it had designated "forbidden and unsafe," according to a statement published by semi-official Tasnim News Agency.
The U.S. military on Tuesday destroyed five Iranian crude oil tankers, responding to the IRGC firing ballistic missiles at an American warship twice over the past two days, according to U.S. Central Command.
The U.S. warship successfully evaded Iranian attack and no American personnel were harmed, Centcom said in a statement .
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