Iran claims IRGC struck US oil tanker in northern Persian Gulf — vessel reported on fire

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced it had struck a US-flagged oil tanker in the northern Persian Gulf, releasing footage it claimed showed the vessel on fire. The US military and the ship's operator had not confirmed the incident as of the time of reporting. Alongside the tanker claim, the IRGC issued a broader statement declaring that it maintains full control of the Strait of Hormuz and has effectively closed it to oil and gas exports. The declaration goes beyond the de facto commercial closure already effected by P&I insurance withdrawal, representing the first explicit Iranian claim of physical control over the strait. If the tanker strike is confirmed, it would be the first direct IRGC naval strike on a US-flagged vessel since the 1987-88 Tanker War, when the IRGC mined and attacked multiple vessels in the Gulf. US 5th Fleet is investigating. The potential for a US naval response against IRGC naval assets is significant, as such a strike would expand the conflict into a direct naval dimension that has so far been avoided.