US and Iran traded attacks on warships and tankers amid Strait of Hormuz tensions on Saturday

On Saturday, the US military struck and destroyed three Iranian crude oil tankers near Kharg Island and in the Gulf of Oman, after Iran fired ballistic missiles at two US warships — an aircraft carrier and a guided-missile destroyer. Central Command says the US ships successfully evaded the attacks and no US personnel were harmed, while two of the Iranian vessels were disabled and the third completely destroyed. US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said: "It's simple. If Iran shoots at US ships, we will destroy and sink their oil tankers." Iran's Foreign Ministry strongly condemned the US "acts of aggression", while the IRGC claimed it responded by targeting three oil tankers travelling through an "unauthorised" route in the Strait of Hormuz and three US-affiliated vessels. There has been no independent confirmation of the Iranian claims. The tit-for-tat attacks mark a significant escalation between Washington and Tehran.

Al Jazeera's Manuel Rapalo reports from Washington, DC.

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