ANKARA

Iran announced Saturday that a Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker in the Persian Gulf was targeted for being “linked to the US.”

According to a statement from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), around midday, the oil tanker Louise P was struck by an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) operated by the IRGC Navy in the Persian Gulf “on the grounds that it belongs to the US.”

The IRGC had previously declared that all American and Israeli assets in the region are considered legitimate targets.

In a separate incident, Iran reported that another oil tanker, Pirima, which it described as “ignoring warnings,” was also struck by a UAV in the Strait of Hormuz.

Regional tensions have escalated since the United States and Israel launched a large-scale attack on Iran on Feb. 28, killing more than 1,000 people, including Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, over 150 schoolgirls, and senior military officials.

Iran has retaliated with sweeping barrages of its own that have targeted US bases, diplomatic facilities, and military personnel across the region, as well as multiple Israeli cities. The attacks have continued to escalate.

*Writing by Gizem Nisa Demir