‘US oil tanker currently on fire’: Iran says it hit American ship in Gulf with missile | Today News
Iran claims a missile strike on a U.S.-owned tanker and declares wartime control over the Strait of Hormuz, threatening to hit any rescue vessel that intervenes.
Mar 5, 2026
Sources
Summary
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard says it hit a U.S.-owned oil tanker with a missile in the northern Persian Gulf, leaving it on fire. Iran is asserting wartime control over passage through the Strait of Hormuz and threatening to strike any U.S., Israeli, or European vessels that assist the ship. The result is an immediate escalation risk for maritime security, global energy flows, and U.S. military exposure in international waters.
Reality Check
When a state claims the power to control a global chokepoint and threatens third-party rescue or support vessels, it normalizes coercion as maritime governance and makes escalation the default mechanism for resolving disputes. That precedent weakens the practical force of international passage norms by shifting safety at sea from rules to retaliation. The long-term effect is a higher baseline risk for commercial transit and a narrower margin for U.S. decision-making without triggering wider conflict.
Detail
<p>Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said Thursday, 5 March, it struck a U.S.-owned oil tanker in the northern Persian Gulf with a missile and that the ship “is currently on fire.” The report was carried by state media and cited by Euro News, with no immediate independent confirmation noted.</p><p>In the same statement, the IRGC said any military or commercial vehicle belonging to the United States, Israel, or any European country that rescues or supports the tanker “will not be allowed to pass through,” adding that such vessels would be hit if observed.</p><p>The IRGC also stated that “in the time of war” passage through the Strait of Hormuz would be under control of the Islamic Republic, and cited what it described as “international laws and resolutions” to justify controlling transit. Separately, Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi warned Washington would “bitterly regret” a precedent it had set, while an IRGC commander said Iran had decided to fight Americans “wherever they are” and rejected further negotiations.</p>