Iran accused the United States of striking an Iranian tanker near the country's main oil export hub of Kharg Island in the Persian Gulf on Saturday, raising fresh concerns about an escalation in the conflict between Tehran and Washington.
The semi-official Tasnim news agency, citing a correspondent near Kharg, reported that the tanker was hit by four U.S. missiles near the island's anchorage, about 6 miles (10 kilometers) from the coast. The crew was being evacuated and there were no reported casualties, Tasnim said.
Other Iranian media outlets also reported explosions near Kharg Island, but details about the incident remained unclear. The semi-official Fars news agency said explosions were heard in the area but that there was no visible smoke and the source of the blasts was unknown.
State-affiliated Nournews reported unconfirmed information from local sources that an Iranian tanker had been hit by a U.S. missile near Kharg. The Asr Iran news site said the tanker had been struck by four projectiles and was being unloaded.
There was no immediate independent confirmation of the reports. Iranian authorities had not issued a formal statement, while U.S. Central Command did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Kharg Island is Iran's main crude oil export terminal and a strategically important part of the country's energy infrastructure. Before the war, Iran shipped about 90% of its crude exports through the island, according to Iranian reports. Those shipments have been heavily disrupted since the United States imposed a naval blockade on Iranian oil exports in mid-April.
U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened action against Kharg Island. On Aug. 31, he posted a one-line message on social media accompanied by an AI-generated video saying the island was being "blown to smithereens."
Trump had also said June 11 that he wanted to take control of Kharg Island, although he later said a planned U.S. military operation there was off the table for the time being. The comments came shortly before Tehran and Washington signed an interim agreement on June 17 aimed at ending the war.
Any confirmed U.S. strike on Kharg would place additional pressure on Iran's already strained oil industry and economy. Iran is the third-largest producer in the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and relies heavily on oil revenue.
The confrontation has also disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global energy route that carried about one-fifth of the world's oil supply before the war. Iran effectively closed the waterway, prompting the United States to impose its blockade on Iranian ports.
A confirmed attack on Kharg could also increase the risk of further Iranian retaliation against U.S. forces and American allies across the Middle East.
Fighting spreads across the region
The reported tanker strike came as violence continued elsewhere in the Middle East.
In Yemen, Iranian-backed Houthi rebels accused government forces of killing at least three people in airstrikes in the western and southwestern parts of the country.
The attacks Friday occurred in Hodeida and Taiz provinces as Yemen's military said it carried out more than 15 airstrikes against Houthi positions along front lines in the two provinces.
Houthi authorities in Hodeida said a father and daughter were killed when their home in the southern Jarahi district was struck. In Taiz, a shelling attack killed a man and wounded another, according to the Houthi-run al-Masirah satellite news channel.
The violence comes as fighting between the Houthis and government forces has intensified along Yemen's western coast near a strategically important supply route.
In southern Lebanon, the Health Ministry said Israeli strikes killed three people and wounded nearly two dozen others in southern Lebanon and the eastern Bekaa Valley.
The Israeli military said it carried out strikes against Hezbollah positions late Friday after the Iran-backed group launched a drone toward Israeli forces in southern Lebanon. The drone was intercepted and no Israeli soldiers were injured, the military said.
Lebanon and Israel signed a U.S.-mediated framework agreement in June under which Israeli forces would withdraw from areas they occupy in southern Lebanon in return for the disarmament of Hezbollah. But implementation has made little progress.
The latest Israel-Hezbollah conflict began after Hezbollah fired rockets into Israel in the days following the launch of the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran on Feb. 28. Israel subsequently invaded Lebanon and has maintained control over a large area of the country's south.
Hezbollah has strongly opposed direct talks between Lebanon and Israel.
The situation remained fluid Saturday, with reports of fighting and military activity continuing across several parts of the region.