Iran claims missile strike on US tanker as Israel launches fresh airstrikes on Tehran

Iran has claimed that it struck a US oil tanker in the Persian Gulf with a missile, as Israel launched a fresh wave of airstrikes targeting Tehran amid the widening conflict in the Middle East.

Iranian state television reported that the country’s Revolutionary Guards carried out the attack on Thursday, saying the tanker was hit by a missile in the northern part of the Gulf and had caught fire. There was no immediate independent confirmation of the strike or details about potential casualties or damage.

The reported attack on the tanker marks the latest escalation in a conflict that has increasingly spread beyond direct military targets to energy infrastructure and shipping routes in the region.

Meanwhile, Israel carried out new strikes on Tehran as part of its ongoing military campaign against Iran. Loud explosions and fighter jets were reported over the Iranian capital as Israeli forces targeted sites linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and other security infrastructure.

The latest strikes came as the war entered its sixth day, with both sides intensifying their operations. Israel said its forces were targeting military and security facilities connected to Iran’s defence network, while Tehran has continued launching missiles and drones toward Israeli territory and US-linked targets in the region.

The conflict has increasingly affected regional security and global energy routes. Iran has warned that shipping in the Strait of Hormuz could come under its control during wartime, raising concerns about the safety of vessels passing through one of the world’s most important oil transit corridors.

With attacks expanding across multiple fronts, including strikes on shipping and infrastructure, the confrontation between Iran, Israel and the United States is raising fears of a wider regional war.