American forces struck multiple Iranian oil tankers on Tuesday in retaliation for Iran's attempted strikes on a Navy warship, a U.S. official said. The attack came as the conflict, relatively calm for weeks, escalated with tit-for-tat exchanges. Iranian state media reported U.S. attacks on tankers near Kharg Island and Jask, key oil hubs. The Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps vowed retaliation, warning tankers near Kuwait and Bahrain to evacuate crews.

President Trump has shifted from a military campaign to economic pressure, but fighting has flared in recent days over control of the Strait of Hormuz. U.S. military officials threatened to strike three Iranian ships for every two vessels hit by Tehran, yet Iran continued firing, throttling the world's oil supply. The result remains a stalemate.

On Saturday, both sides claimed attacks on each other's ships, and days later, U.S. strikes followed Iran's seizure of an American underwater drone. Capt. Tim Hawkins, a U.S. Central Command spokesman, said the drone malfunctioned, was an older model, and carried no sensitive data, but he couldn't confirm Iranian claims of seizing the technology.

Iran insists on controlling passage through the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway for oil transit. Since the war began in February, traffic has plummeted, and the U.S. Navy has been guiding ships along a southern route near Oman, drawing further Iranian attacks.