ANKARA 

Iran confirmed Sunday that it had attacked an oil tanker for defying orders not to cross the strategic Strait of Hormuz.

The state television reported that the tanker “was illegally attempting” to cross the passage.

Activists on social media circulated images of the oil tanker on the verge of sinking, with plumes of smoke rising from it after it was targeted.

Oman’s Maritime Security Center said early Sunday that four people were injured in an attack on a Palau-flagged oil tanker north of Khasab Port on the Srait of Hormuz.

In a statement, the center said SKYLIGHT tanker was targeted five nautical miles north of the port in the Musandam Governorate.

“All 20 crew members, including 15 Indian nationals and 5 Iranian nationals, were evacuated,” it added.

The US and Israel launched an attack on Iran on Saturday, with Tehran staging retaliatory missile and drone strikes.

On Saturday, Iranian media reported that the Strait of Hormuz had been "effectively" closed following US and Israeli attacks on the country.

Iran on Sunday confirmed the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and several top officials in Israeli and US attacks on the country.

Washington and Tel Aviv accuse Tehran of possessing nuclear and missile programs that threaten Israel, the only country in the region with a nuclear arsenal, and allies of the US. Iran maintains that its nuclear program is peaceful and that it is not seeking to produce nuclear weapons.

*Writing by Rania Abushamala