The United States has struck multiple Iranian oil tankers linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps following another attempted attack on a U.S. Navy warship, according to U.S. officials. Explosions were reported near Kharg Island, Iran’s main oil-export hub, as Washington again targeted vessels connected to the regime’s financial lifeline.

Iranian state television reported two tankers struck near the southern port of Jask and another near Kharg Island, with crews evacuating. Tasnim reported no casualties in the Kharg incident. The vessels’ identities and the full extent of damage were not immediately clear.

Tehran responded by threatening oil tankers in Kuwaiti and Bahraini ports, with the IRGC’s navy warning crews to leave their vessels. The threat extends the confrontation beyond Iranian waters to commercial shipping near two countries hosting American forces.

The Wall Street Journal reported that Iran’s latest missile attack followed earlier attempts to strike an American aircraft carrier and a guided-missile destroyer. U.S. officials said none of the American vessels were hit. The renewed tanker strikes were described as retaliation for the additional attack.

In the previous round of attacks, CENTCOM said it permanently disabled the Iranian tankers Downy and Stark 1 and destroyed the empty tanker Kylo after directing its crew to abandon ship. The command described the three vessels as part of a multibillion-dollar shadow network financing the IRGC and its regional proxies.

“If you shoot at two of our ships, we will impose an even higher economic cost — taking out three of yours,” CENTCOM commander Adm. Brad Cooper warned after those strikes.

Kharg handled approximately 90% of Iran’s crude exports before the war, making the surrounding tanker traffic a critical part of the country’s export system. But strikes on nearby vessels should not be confused with confirmed attacks on the island’s oil terminals: the latest reporting does not establish that its onshore oil infrastructure was hit.

Washington is simultaneously tightening its economic campaign. The Treasury Department announced sanctions against 36 targets supporting Iran’s aviation sector under Operation Economic Outcast, saying the regime uses the industry to transport weapons, personnel and illicit cargo. The measures also target overseas intermediaries and aircraft-procurement networks.

Iran has meanwhile announced plans for a restricted maritime zone extending beyond the Strait of Hormuz into the Gulf. Its latest evacuation warnings add a direct threat against ships in neighboring ports to that effort to dictate regional shipping movements.

The escalation comes as Iran-backed Houthis have also attacked Saudi energy facilities, widening the danger to regional oil infrastructure. The immediate question is whether Tehran follows through on its threats against Gulf shipping, turning another failed attack on American warships into a broader confrontation over the region’s energy trade.