US targets Iranian oil tankers after attempted strike on Navy vessel

American forces targeted several Iranian oil tankers after further attempted missile strikes against a US Navy vessel, according to The Independent, citing an official speaking on condition of anonymity. Iranian state television broadcast an evacuation warning from the Revolutionary Guard’s naval arm telling tanker crews near ports in Kuwait and Bahrain to leave immediately, while accusing the two Gulf states of assisting US raids by hosting American troops.

The episode sits inside what the report describes as more than six months of warfare between Washington and Tehran, a conflict that has increasingly been fought through shipping movements, deniable attacks, and rapid retaliation rather than formal declarations. Tankers are the obvious pressure point: they carry the revenue sanctions are designed to choke off, and they are slow, trackable targets that can be hit without striking Iranian territory directly. For Iran, warning crews to evacuate near Kuwait and Bahrain widens the circle of risk to neighbours that depend on the same sea lanes, forcing local ports and insurers to price in a crisis they do not control.

The reliance on anonymous briefings and state television announcements also reflects the operational reality at sea. Each side can claim it is responding to an “attempted” strike, a “retaliatory” action, or assistance provided by third countries, while keeping the evidentiary burden low and the political room to manoeuvre high. That ambiguity matters because the Strait of Hormuz is not just a military chokepoint; it is a billing system for the global economy, where perceived danger can move costs even when physical flows continue.

For Gulf states, the accusation of complicity is a reminder that hosting foreign forces is not a neutral act once shipping becomes a target set. Ports that market themselves as safe and efficient can be dragged into escalation by geography alone, and evacuation warnings test how quickly commercial operators will comply when the alternative is becoming the next headline.

The Independent’s report ends with Iranian television saying multiple tankers were hit and the Guard warning of retaliation. The crews near Kuwait and Bahrain were told to leave immediately, while the ships remained where they were.