Iran announced it had struck another ship attempting to transit the Strait of Hormuz "illegally," claiming the vessel was sinking, Tasnim reported on March 2, citing military sources.

The latest attack followed an IRGC announcement that Iranian naval missiles had hit three oil tankers belonging to the United States and Britain on March 1.

In its eighth communiqué for Operation True Promise 4, the IRGC said the three tankers were struck in the Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz for "violating" transit rules, and were "on fire and sinking."

The IRGC declared a state of war in the waterway, through which roughly a fifth of the world's oil supply passes daily.

If confirmed, the attacks would represent a dramatic escalation in the conflict, effectively closing the world's most critical oil transit chokepoint. Energy analysts had warned that any disruption to shipping through the strait could push crude prices beyond $150 per barrel.

International tanker tracking systems had already reported vessels coming to a standstill around the strait on March 1, with several European governments instructing tankers flying their flags not to transit the waterway.

The strikes on commercial shipping came as Iranian forces continued retaliatory operations against US and Israeli military targets following the joint strikes on February 28 that killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.