The navy of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has struck at least seven 'violating' oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz over a span of five days, according to the semi-official Fars news agency. The strikes — averaging more than one vessel per day — represent a significant escalation in the strategic waterway through which roughly 20% of the world's traded oil flows.

Tankers Struck and Vessels Identified

According to MenchOsint, an independent military observer cited by Fars, two oil tankers were struck in the Strait of Hormuz on Friday — one at the waterway's entrance and another while exiting it. Over the preceding four days, two Kuwaiti tankers — Al FUNTAS and KAZIMAH III — and three United Arab Emirates vessels — SINBAD, MERSIN PROSPERITY, and AL RUWAIS — were reportedly struck in the strait.

Trump's Claim and Contradiction on the Ground

The IRGC Navy actions come despite repeated assertions by US President Donald Trump that the Strait of Hormuz is 'open and under his country's control.' The reported strikes directly contradict that framing, raising questions about the effectiveness of the US naval posture in the region. Speaking to reporters after arriving in Texas and later during a visit to a Peterbilt Motors facility in Denton, Trump painted a picture of a militarily and economically weakened Iran.

Trump Predicts Rapid End to Conflict

'Iran will very soon be ending one way or the other,' Trump told reporters on Saturday. 'It'll either just say, look, they have 301 percent inflation. They have no money, they have no currency. Their military has been defeated, their navy is gone, their air force is gone, everything's gone.' He added: 'And, one way or the other, it's going to end very quickly. And when that ends, oil prices are going to drop like a rock.'

Background: How the Hormuz Standoff Began

Iran tightened its grip on the Strait of Hormuz on 28 February, barring safe passage to vessels belonging to or affiliated with Israel and the United States — a move that followed joint US-Israeli strikes on Iranian territory. The current wave of tanker strikes marks a sharp intensification of that policy, with the IRGC now targeting vessels from third-party Gulf states including Kuwait and the UAE, suggesting a broadening of Iran's maritime enforcement beyond the original stated targets.

Global Energy Markets on Alert

The sustained targeting of commercial shipping in one of the world's most critical chokepoints has placed global energy markets on edge. Any prolonged disruption to Hormuz transit could sharply push up crude prices — the very opposite of what Trump has predicted. Analysts will be watching whether Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member states escalate diplomatic pressure on Tehran following the strikes on Kuwaiti and Emirati vessels. The coming days are likely to be decisive for the trajectory of the conflict.