Iran's Revolutionary Guard attacks three oil tankers and three U.S.-related ships on unauthorized routes

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy issued a statement saying it attacked three oil tankers passing through an "unauthorized route" in the Strait of Hormuz and three U.S.-related ships in other waters.

The Revolutionary Guard claimed that the attack was retaliation for the U.S. attack on Iranian oil tankers earlier in the day and warned other ships not to use unauthorized routes.

Previously, the U.S. Central Command announced that it had attacked three Iranian oil tankers in response to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard firing ballistic missiles at two U.S. Navy warships patrolling the waters.

The U.S. military explained that it neutralized the Downey near Harg Island, Iran's largest oil export base, and the Stark 1 near Jask, and completely destroyed the Kylo in the Gulf of Oman.

U.S. Central Command Commander Brad Cooper said, "If we attack two of our ships, we will hit three of our ships and impose a greater economic price," and warned that additional attacks could be carried out against Iran's crude oil transport fleet if necessary.

In response, Khattam al-Anbiya, the Central Military Headquarters that oversees the Iranian military, countered that if the U.S. attack continues, retaliation against U.S. warships will "be more powerful than before and the scope of the attack is likely to expand."

The armed conflict between the United States and Iran intensified again after the U.S. military struck an Iranian rocket launcher for installing mines in the Strait of Hormuz on the 30th of last month.

Since then, a vicious cycle of retaliation has continued, with Iran attacking US military bases in Jordan and Kuwait, and the US striking again targets related to the Revolutionary Guard and oil tankers.