Dubai: Iran said on Saturday that an Iranian tanker was hit by four missiles near Kharg Island in the Persian Gulf, according to Iranian media, in another escalation between Tehran and Washington amid severe disruption to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
Iranian state television and the semi official Tasnim news agency reported that the tanker was struck about 10 kilometres from Kharg Island. The crew was being evacuated and no casualties were reported.
The incident followed reports of explosions heard near Kharg Island earlier on Saturday. Initial reports from Iranian media said the cause of the explosions was not known.
The reported attack has not been independently confirmed by the United States. US Central Command had not immediately issued a statement confirming that American forces carried out the strike.
Tasnim reported that four US missiles hit the tanker in the anchorage area near Kharg Island. The identity of the vessel, its cargo and the full extent of the damage were not immediately clear. There was also no confirmed explanation for why the vessel was targeted.
Kharg Island is one of Iran's most important oil facilities. Located in Bushehr province, the island handled about 90 percent of Iran's crude oil exports before the war. Its deep water facilities make it a major point for loading large oil tankers.
There was no immediate indication that the main oil export terminal on Kharg Island itself had been damaged. The reported incident involved a tanker near the island.
The development comes amid growing tension between Iran and the United States over the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world's most important energy routes.
Commercial shipping through the waterway has fallen sharply during the latest escalation, with only a small number of commodity vessels recorded crossing the strait compared with traffic levels before the conflict.
The International Maritime Organization has reported dozens of confirmed incidents affecting shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and surrounding waters. The organisation has also reported deaths among seafarers during the wider maritime crisis.
Several commercial vessels have come under attack or faced threats in and around the strait in recent weeks. The incidents have raised concerns among shipping companies and energy markets about the safety of vessels travelling through the region.
The latest tanker report also follows the resumption of US and Iranian military exchanges after a period of relative calm.
US forces recently carried out strikes on Iranian military positions on Larak Island. Washington said those actions were aimed at preventing threats to commercial shipping, including the possible deployment of sea mines in the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran has rejected the US position and has maintained that it has the right to regulate shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
US President Donald Trump has also made statements concerning Kharg Island. On August 31, he posted an AI generated video appearing to show the island under attack and wrote that Kharg Island was being destroyed. At the time, there was no evidence that the island had actually been attacked.
The latest tanker incident is separate from that earlier post, and there is no confirmed evidence linking the two events.
The confrontation has already had a wider effect on global energy markets. Oil prices rose sharply during the week as traders assessed the risk of prolonged disruption around the Strait of Hormuz and wider risks to regional oil supplies.
Iran's oil exports have also been severely affected by the US blockade, which has sharply reduced the country's ability to ship crude.
For now, the most important unanswered question is whether the United States carried out the reported strike. Iran has made the allegation, but no public US confirmation was immediately available.
It also remains unclear which tanker was hit, what happened to the vessel after the reported attack, whether it suffered serious damage and what it was carrying.
The incident adds further uncertainty to the situation in the Persian Gulf, where military confrontation and disruption to commercial shipping are already affecting one of the world's most important energy routes.