DUBAI: The US military said it hit three Iranian oil tankers, after accusing Iran of targeting its warships. The past week saw the first exchange of fire after a month of relative calm.
Meanwhile, the US ambassador to Israel has again condemned settler violence in the occupied West Bank. Iranian-backed Houthi rebels accused Yemen's government of killing three people in attacks. Israeli strikes killed three people in southern Lebanon.
The US military said in a statement said that the three Iranian tankers were part of a shadow network helping to fund Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guard and its armed proxies in the region.
Iranian state TV said earlier that four US missiles struck a tanker about 6 miles (10 kilometres) from Kharg Island, home to a terminal through which the country exports most of its oil. It said there were no casualties.
Kharg Island been repeatedly targeted during the war, including US strikes on military sites there in March. The latest report comes almost a week after the US resumed strikes on Iranian targets following a monthlong pause, as fighting around the Strait of Hormuz has intensified.
The US military said that an American aircraft carrier and a destroyer evaded “multiple unprovoked Iranian attacks” while patrolling in the region and no US personnel were hurt.