The US and Iran have traded strikes on ships, the latest round of attacks since the conflict flared a week ago after a period of relative calm.
US Central Command, which oversees the nation’s military in the Middle East, said it struck three Iranian oil tankers, including one off the coast of Kharg Island, near the nation’s oil export hub, after Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps launched ballistic missiles at two US Navy ships.
Admiral Brad Cooper, head of US Central Command, said: “Let the message to the IRGC be clear: If you shoot at two of our ships, we will impose an even higher economic cost — taking out three of yours.”
The IRGC responded by threatening intensified strikes against US military vessels in the region, and later said it targeted three tankers Tehran that it claimed were on unauthorised routes in the Strait of Hormuz, as well as as three US-linked vessels in other areas.
The exchange of attacks followed an escalation in the past week that threatens to deepen a conflict that has continued since the US and Israel launched strikes on Iran in February.
President Donald Trump has backed up comments from his vice president and insisted the Iran conflict is a relatively minor operation, rather than a full-on war.
"I call it a military conflict because it's small potatoes for us,” the president told reporters in the Oval Office on Friday. “It’s not a big thing.”
When pressed by Rachel Scott of ABC News about the record-setting deployments of certain service members as part of the fight, the president lashed out, repeatedly asking, “How long were we in Vietnam?”
President Trump claimed the U.S. had successfully stopped Iran from getting a nuclear weapon and alleged U.S. satellite intelligence would spot any future threats from the country the moment they arose. The U.S. had “essentially taken over” Iran, the Republican said.
The US aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln left Thailand on Sunday after a five-day port visit, ending a respite from an extended deployment that included operations in the Middle East, the US Navy said.
“We would like to thank the people of Thailand for their incredible hospitality,” US Navy Captain Dan Keeler, the Abraham Lincoln’s commanding officer, said in a statement.
Naval deployments typically last for six to nine months, but during times of conflict that can be extended.
The nuclear-powered Lincoln, with roughly 5,000 personnel, was involved in the U.S. naval blockade and combat operations in the war with Iran and — according to Democratic lawmakers — set a modern-day record for consecutive days at sea.
Accompanied by other US naval vessels, the Lincoln arrived early on Wednesday in Thailand, the United States' only treaty partner in mainland Southeast Asia, during a visit that Thai officials said would last five days.
Busloads of sailors and Marines wearing civilian clothes, many smiling and waving, started arriving at a hotel in the resort city of Pattaya, about 150 km (93 miles) southeast of Bangkok, shortly after their ships docked.
"Do not be deceived by the 'terrorist' U.S. military and refrain from any suspicious movement aimed at passing through unauthorised waterways," the IRGC Navy said in a statement carried on Iranian state TV. "Otherwise, you will be targeted."
Tasnim, the semi-official Iranian news agency, had reported that four US missiles hit a tanker in the area of Kharg's anchorage. Tasnim quoted local sources as saying there were no casualties and the tanker's crew was being evacuated.
No American personnel were harmed, Central Command said.
At least five people were killed in a suspected US attack that hit a wedding in Iran after Tehran and Washington exchanged the heaviest strikes between them since July.
The Iranian Red Crescent (IRC) has asked the International Criminal Court to investigate the incident, calling for “an independent, impartial, thorough, and effective investigation” due to the “civilian character of the location”.
Iran has accused the US of “war crimes”, but the US maintains that it does not target civilians.
