US-Iran Gulf clashes escalated on Wednesday after the US military disabled a Botswana-flagged oil tanker near Qeshm Island and Iran fired missiles toward Bahrain and Kuwait, officials said.
United States Central Command said the M/T Lexie ignored repeated warnings while trying to sail toward an Iranian port in violation of an American blockade. A US aircraft then fired a Hellfire missile into the tanker’s engine room, disabling the vessel.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it targeted US assets after what it described as a US attack near Qeshm Island. Iranian media said the strikes targeted the US Fifth Fleet headquarters and other regional military sites.
Central Command said Iranian missiles aimed at Bahrain, Kuwait and other regional targets either failed or were intercepted. It said two missiles fired toward Kuwait fell short or broke apart, while three missiles heading toward Bahrain were intercepted.
The flare-up came as a tentative US-Iran agreement to halt the war remained unsigned. President Donald Trump said negotiations had continued daily, while Iranian media said Tehran had not communicated with Washington for several days.
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The latest incident deepened pressure around the Strait of Hormuz, a key Gulf shipping route that has remained largely closed to maritime traffic during the conflict.
