The US and Iran traded retaliatory attacks on ships on Saturday, in the latest round of strikes since fighting flared up a week ago following a month of relative calm.

The US military said it had "permanently disabled" two Iran-linked oil tankers, including one near Kharg Island, and "completely destroyed" a third in the Gulf of Oman.

Iran's state media confirmed the strikes and said Tehran had attacked three US-affiliated vessels in response, as well as three oil tankers travelling through the Strait of Hormuz along an "unauthorised" route.

The BBC has approached US Central Command (Centcom) for comment about Iran's latest claims to have targeted US ships.

The strikes come a day after President Donald Trump dismissed the conflict as "small potatoes", with little apparent progress towards ending the six-month war. He has not commented on Saturday's attacks.

The news of Iran's latest retaliation came hours after Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth wrote on social media: "It's simple: if Iran shoots at US ships, we will destroy (and sink) their oil tankers."

According to US Central Command (Centcom), two US warships had been targeted by Iran before the American attack on three Iran-linked oil tankers.

Centcom said it "successfully evaded" the multiple attacks from the IRGC earlier in the day, which were targeting a US aircraft carrier and guided-missile destroyer. No American troops were harmed, it said.

Centcom, which oversees US military operations in the Middle East, claimed that the three Iranian oil tankers it hit were "part of a multi-billion-dollar shadow network that funds the IRGC and its regional proxies".

Iranian state media outlet Irib reported that there were no casualties in Saturday's attack from the US on the tanker near Kharg Island.

Kharg Island hosts Iran's main terminal to export oil. Some 90% of the country's crude oil comes through the island, transported through pipes from the mainland.

The crews aboard the two attacked tankers in the Gulf of Oman were taken to shore in lifeboats, Irib reported. One of those tankers was empty and the other was carrying a load of oil, it added.

Several hours later, Irib reported that Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) had retaliated against six ships in the region - three oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz and three vessels "affiliated" with the US "in other areas".

According to Irib, the IRGC said the three oil tankers were using "unauthorised" routes through the strait and it warned other ships not to do so.

The strait, which is crucial to the world's oil and gas industry, has been effectively closed since the war began in February, and has become a major source of leverage for Iran.

Tehran has insisted it will not give up some measure of control over the waterway and has previously targeted vessels using a southern route through Omani waters that avoids its preferred route through Iranian waters.

Despite the Iranian attacks, Trump has declared that the strait is "open" and the US military has been helping ships navigate the southern route.

After a period of relative calm, the US resumed attacks last Sunday, when it said it had struck two rocket launchers to prevent them being used to lay naval mines in the Strait of Hormuz.

On Tuesday, Trump said the US had launched a further "very heavy attack", but claimed the renewed fighting would not last "too long".

The strikes prompted Iran to retaliate against US targets in the region, including in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan.

On Thursday, US Vice-President JD Vance also addressed claims by Iran that American strikes killed at least four people, including two children, at a wedding in southern Iran. He said he was "extremely sceptical" over reports of the alleged strike, but confirmed the US would investigate.

Humanitarian group the Iranian Red Crescent Society said shrapnel from a missile hit the ceremony at a home in Sirik on Tuesday, prompting Tehran to declare it a "war crime".

A 60-day ceasefire between the US and Iran formally expired last month, with little sign of a further diplomatic settlement on the horizon.

Days after the ceasefire expired, Trump said the US would launch tougher economic measures against Iran, as well as any country that helps or does business with it.

On Friday, Trump repeated the US position that the conflict is not a "war".

"I call it a military conflict because it's small potatoes for us. It's not a big thing," Trump said, referring to the ongoing attacks as "intermittent".

The US and Israel first launched wide-ranging strikes on Iran on 28 February, with Iran responding by attacking Israel, US bases and allied states in the Gulf, and effectively closing the Strait of Hormuz to marine traffic.

The Strait of Hormuz previously served as one of the busiest oil-shipping routes, carrying about 20% of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas supplies.

The squeeze on the strait has raised energy prices globally. And, ahead of the US midterm elections in November, Trump is facing pressure over how much the war is costing American consumers.

On Friday, the average price for one gallon of diesel in the US hit $5.85, compared to an average of $3.71 a year ago.

Source: BBC

-Agencies