![Iranian military personnel take part in an exercise titled "Smart Control of the Strait of Hormuz", launched by the Naval Forces of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, is being carried out in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz on February 16, 2026. [Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps - Anadolu Agency]](https://i0.wp.com/www.middleeastmonitor.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/AA-20260216-40574970-40574965-IRAN_LAUNCHES_MILITARY_EXERCISE_IN_THE_STRAIT_OF_HORMUZ_AGAINST_SECURITY_THREATS-1-1.jpg?fit=920%2C613&ssl=1)
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said Thursday it attacked an American oil tanker in the Persian Gulf, as escalation continued to rise in the wake of a US-Israeli attack on Tehran, Anadolu reports.
The Guards’ Public Relations Department said in a statement carried by the state news agency IRNA that Iranian naval forces “successfully targeted an American oil tanker in the northern Persian Gulf.”
No further details were provided and there was no immediate US comment on the Iranian claim.
More than 900 people have been killed since the US and Israel launched a joint offensive on Iran on Saturday, including Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and top military officials.
Iran has retaliated with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel as well as Gulf countries that are home to US military assets.
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