US jets disable tankers near Hormuz; Iran reports clashes
Shafaq News- Tehran
US Navy strikes disabled three oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman on Friday, and the day prior, American military officials confirmed, while Iranian media reported sporadic clashes between Iranian forces and US warships continuing for hours in the Strait of Hormuz.
US Central Command (CENTCOM) stated that an F/A-18 Super Hornet fired munitions into the smokestacks of two Iranian-flagged unladen tankers —the Sea Star III and the Sevda— before they could enter an Iranian port on the Gulf of Oman, disabling both vessels. A third tanker, the Iranian-flagged Hasna, was disabled on May 6. “All three ships are no longer transiting to Iran.“
Earlier, a US official told Fox News that American forces had also struck several empty oil tankers attempting to break the blockade and return to Iran. An explosion was heard near the Iranian city of Sirik, close to the strait, though its cause remained unconfirmed.
More than 50 vessels have been redirected and multiple others disabled to enforce blockade compliance, and US forces are currently preventing more than 70 tankers from entering or leaving Iranian ports —vessels with the combined capacity to transport over 166 million barrels of Iranian oil, worth an estimated $13 billion or more, according to CENTCOM.
Fars News Agency reported clashes between Iranian forces and US warships had been ongoing for hours, with military tension in the area showing “no sign of abating.” Tehran accused US forces of violating the ceasefire by striking an Iranian oil tanker, a second vessel, and coastal sites in Bandar Khomeini, Sirik, and Qeshm Island, adding that its forces responded by targeting American naval vessels and inflicting "significant damage."
CENTCOM said its forces intercepted "unprovoked" Iranian attacks while the destroyers USS Truxtun, USS Rafael Peralta, and USS Mason were transiting the strait toward the Gulf of Oman, and that no US assets were struck.
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) May 8, 2026
Regarding the diplomatic front, Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Ismail Baqaei told Tasnim news agency that Tehran is still reviewing the American proposal to end the war. He described the US actions in the Strait as a flagrant violation of international law and of the ceasefire simultaneously, while asserting that Iranian forces had responded with full force and repelled the attack. "Our armed forces are at full readiness and will respond wherever necessary.”
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed that Washington is awaiting Iran's formal response to its proposals. President Donald Trump warned Iran the same day that the United States would launch more severe strikes if Tehran did not sign an agreement "quickly," while also seeking to downplay the severity of the recent clashes and stating that the ceasefire remains in effect.
Read more: Force without a finish line: Iran is losing the war, the US is losing the endgame
