Tougher Reprisals

The United States said it destroyed three Iranian oil tankers on Saturday in response to attempted missile attacks on naval vessels, prompting Iran's military to warn of tougher reprisals if the strikes continued. The latest round of clashes comes with both sides deadlocked in the six-month war as Iran maintains its stranglehold on the Strait of Hormuz and Washington presses its counter-blockade of Iranian ports.

US Central Command said it targeted tankers linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Video showed large fireballs and billowing flames after projectiles slammed into the ships. "If you shoot at two of our ships, we will impose an even higher economic cost -- taking out three of yours," said CENTCOM commander Admiral Brad Cooper.

Iran responds

The Iranian foreign ministry strongly condemned the "US aggressive action in attacking Iranian commercial vessels", calling the strikes "illegal and aggressive". A state TV correspondent said one tanker was empty and the second was carrying oil, with crews transported to shore on lifeboats.

Iran's Khatam-al Anbiya central military command warned that if the US continued its attacks, Iranian retaliation against US warships would be "more severe than before, and there is a possibility of their expansion." The Trump administration has sought to play down the conflict, with Trump calling it "small potatoes" -- but the exchanges of fire continue to intensify.