Iran-US conflict escalates as US destroys Iranian tankers and drone captured

The US says a submarine drone “malfunctioned” before it fell into Iranian hands, adding that it was an older model and not being used for sensitive operations.

Iran earlier celebrated its capture of an American unmanned underwater vessel near the Strait of Hormuz, with Iranian state media publishing footage of the drone.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard claimed to have “trapped one of the most modern, intelligent and unmanned submarines of the terrorist American army at the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz”.

It comes as the US military destroyed five Iranian oil tankers – four in the Gulf of Oman and one near Kharg Island – in retaliation for repeated missile strikes on a Navy warship.

“The US warship successfully evaded the attempted Iranian attacks and continued to patrol regional waters. No American personnel were harmed”, the US military said.

Meanwhile, the Iran-backed Houthi rebels have attacked several cities in Saudi Arabia, wounding at least 73 people and knocking operations at energy facilities offline, the Saudi-led coalition said on Tuesday in a further sign of the conflict spreading as diplomacy stalls. The coalition vowed a firm response to the attacks.

Iran is signalling a tougher military response to the US as economic pressure mounts, analysts tell The New York Times.

“How do you regain the momentum? You escalate,” Farzan Sabet, an Iran analyst at the Geneva Graduate Institute, a research group told the outlet.

“It’s highly damaging, but at the same time, they hope it raises global oil prices or fully re-closes the Strait of Hormuz,” he said.

Mohammad Ali Shabani, an Iran analyst and editor of the regional news website Amwaj.media told the outlet: “All signs point to a make or break moment. I’m not sure the Iranians are going to wait until after the elections to be attacked if diplomacy fails.”

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said on Wednesday that it had attacked two US vessels and eight oil tankers in the Gulf in response to what they described as a US attack on five Iranian tankers, Iranian state media reported.

The Guard said they had also attacked 10 ships attempting to cross what they described as a “prohibited and unsafe” area of the Strait of Hormuz.

Donald Trump has reiterated that Iran has “no chance of getting” a nuclear weapon.

Speaking at an event in Washington, he said: “I will tell you, we’re right now fighting because we have a certain nation that wanted a nuclear weapon.”

“They were very close to getting it. And now they have no chance of getting it. Iran will not have a nuclear weapon.”

Iran says that it’s not pursuing nuclear weapons, and its program is entirely peaceful.

US Central Command has released footage showing an Iranian tanker sinking in the Gulf of Oman after it was “destroyed by Centcom forces” on Tuesday.

Centcom said the strike was carried out “in response to attempted attacks” on a US navy warship by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

South Korea has sent an inspection team to the United Arab Emirates to assess security conditions in the region, its defence ministry said.

However, Seoul stressed that the mission does not mean it has decided to deploy troops. Last week, South Korea said it was weighing options for safe navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, including the option of deploying troops.

A South Korean official earlier said that Iran had sought clarification through diplomatic channels after media reports suggested Seoul could play a role in security efforts in the Strait of Hormuz.

The presidential office also denied reports that the US had set a deadline for South Korea to send military assets to the strait.

Qatar’s interior ministry said civil defence crews had brought a fire on a naval vessel at Al Wakrah port under control.

No injuries were reported.

Iran says it has captured a US Dive-LD unmanned submarine near the Strait of Hormuz.

“We trapped one of the most modern, intelligent and unmanned submarines of the terrorist American army at the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz. This submersible is equipped with the latest technologies,” Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said.

The Pentagon said the drone had “malfunctioned more than a day ago”.

“It was surveying regional waters in support of ongoing operations. The defective drone was an older model that neither collected sensitive data nor carried any classified sonar or radar equipment,” the spokesperson said.

“Dive-LD is an attritable autonomous system, meaning it is designed from the outset to operate in dangerous environments where loss of the vehicle is an expected possibility,” the California defence firm Anduril that makes Dive-LD said.

US secretary of state Marco Rubio said Washington would respond to Iranian attacks on its naval forces.

“Iran continues to try to hit US naval ships. And for every time they do that or try to do that, they’re going to lose tankers. And I think you’ll see that again today,” Rubio said.

Earlier, the US military destroyed “multiple” Iranian oil tankers after Iran twice attempted to strike an American navy warship with ballistic missiles.

The strikes threaten to further disrupt oil markets, with crude prices climbing towards $100 a barrel as fears grow over the impact of the escalating conflict on energy supplies.

Iran has warned oil tanker crews near ports in Kuwait and Bahrain to leave their vessels, saying the ships could be targeted in retaliation for the US attacks.

The warning from Iran’s Revolutionary Guards came after the US military struck multiple Iranian tankers in the Gulf of Oman and near Iran’s Kharg Island.

The developments come as Iran maintains a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, through which about one-fifth of global oil and gas shipments normally pass.

The US has also imposed a blockade of Iranian ports.

The latest escalation has already pushed oil prices sharply higher, with crude approaching $100 a barrel in early Asian trading on Wednesday.