Iran condemns US strikes on oil tankers as 'illegal, aggressive'

Iran strongly condemned US strikes on three Iranian crude oil tankers Saturday as "illegal and aggressive," accusing Washington of carrying out the attacks as part of a naval blockade and economic war against the country.

"These illegal and aggressive actions, carried out in continuation of the US military aggression against Iran and as part of its naval blockade and economic war against our homeland, constitute a clear violation of Article 2, Paragraph 4 of the UN Charter, a war crime, and a clear threat to international peace and the security of commercial shipping," the Iranian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

The ministry stressed Iran's determination to "firmly defend its sovereignty and national interests" against what it described as US "state terrorism and aggressive actions."

It said such actions included "the continued naval blockade and economic war, as well as attacks on commercial vessels."

The ministry said responsibility for the consequences of continued US "aggressive and interventionist actions" in the region would rest with Washington and its "accomplices and partners."

 U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth issued a direct warning to Tehran on Saturday, stating that Washington would respond with the systematic destruction of the Iranian merchant fleet should its armed forces attack the U.S. Navy.

"It’s simple: if Iran fires on U.S. ships, we will destroy (and sink) their oil tankers. All they have to do is not fire at the U.S. Navy," Hegseth asserted in a social media post.