Iran strikes back at US oil tanker in the Gulf after torpedo attack on IRIS Dena

Iranian state media IRNA has reported that the IRGC has targeted a US vessel in the northern Persian Gulf; the vessel was hit by missiles and was “currently burning”. This attack comes just hours after the Iranian frigate IRIS Dena was torpedoed by a US submarine off the coast of Sri Lanka as it was transiting from India's territorial waters. Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi had warned earlier that it would 'bitterly regret' the action and has set off a dangerous precedent.

"The US has perpetrated an atrocity at sea, 2,000 miles away from Iran's shores. Frigate Dena, a guest of India's Navy carrying almost 130 sailors, was struck in international waters without warning. Mark my words: The US will come to bitterly regret the precedent it has set," said Araghchi in a statement.

Also Read: US test-fires Minuteman III ‘Doomsday’ nuclear missile from California, amid Iran war: What is the Minuteman III?

The IRGC attack on the US tanker was reported by Iranian media and has not been independently verified. As the war is progressing through the sixth day, the IRGC has asserted complete control over the Strait of Hormuz, under international law and regulations. Any commercial vessel belonging to the US, Israel, European countries, and their supporters would not be permitted to transit the area. "Everyone must comply," said IRGC. The war has seen increased casualties from the Iranian side, reaching close to 1000, including 165 schoolgirls and staff, who were killed in a missile strike on the Shajareh Tayyebeh girls' elementary school in Minab on February 28, 2026.

In another satement IRGC said that it has launched the 19th wave of True Promise Operation, with advanced heavy Khorramshahr-4 missiles was fired “at the heart of Tel Aviv and Ben Gurion Airport as well as the 27 Airbase of the Zionist regime”. IRGC has also noted that every time any missile hits Tel Aviv, it has to pass through 7 layers of defence from the US Navy, its other Gulf allies in the region and finally Israel's missile defence.