U.S. fires on and disables 2 more Iranian tankers as tensions rise in the Strait of Hormuz

U.S. forces disabled two more Iranian oil tankers Friday by blasting their smokestacks in the Strait of Hormuz, the latest escalation that shreds any illusion of a stable ceasefire barely a month old. The strikes came after American ships thwarted Iranian attacks overnight, with the military confirming no U.S. vessels were hit. Yet Iran’s foreign minister immediately branded the action a “reckless military adventure” that torpedoes diplomacy just as a new proposal lands in Tehran.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters he expects a “serious offer” from Iran later Friday, while insisting it remains “unacceptable” for Tehran to create the Persian Gulf Strait Authority to vet and tax ships. That move has bottled up hundreds of commercial vessels inside the Gulf. President Trump, for his part, continues to claim the ceasefire holds even as he threatens to resume full-scale bombing unless Iran agrees to reopen the waterway and roll back its nuclear program.

The human and environmental toll is mounting. An overnight U.S. strike killed at least one sailor and injured ten aboard a cargo vessel that caught fire, according to an Iranian judiciary-affiliated news agency. Satellite images reviewed by the AP reveal an oil slick covering 71 square kilometers off Kharg Island, Iran’s main crude export terminal. Maritime intelligence CEO Ami Daniel estimates 80,000 barrels have already spilled since Tuesday, with the slick drifting southwest and potentially reaching UAE, Qatar or Saudi shores within two weeks.

Iran has kept the critical chokepoint largely closed since the U.S.-Israeli war began Feb. 28, driving up global fuel prices and rattling markets. The UAE reported its own casualties Friday: three people wounded after air defenses engaged two ballistic missiles and three Iranian drones. A Chinese-crewed tanker registered in the Marshall Islands was attacked near the strait with no casualties, prompting Beijing to voice concern while it keeps importing Iranian oil.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif says his government is working “day and night” with both sides to extend the truce. Greenpeace’s Nina Noelle noted the spill appears to be dispersing offshore, limiting coastal damage but still threatening sensitive marine habitats in an active war zone where cleanup is improbable.

The contradiction is stark: Washington says the ceasefire endures and awaits Iran’s reply, yet every fresh exchange of fire makes clear that control of the strait—not paper agreements—will decide whether energy flows or markets keep convulsing. Rubio’s question hangs in the air: “What is the world prepared to do about it?”

Original reporting: PBS.