The US military attacked two empty Iranian oil tankers, which it claimed were attempting to violate a currently in force US blockade, US Central Command said in a post on Platform X, adding that a third Iranian vessel was disabled on Wednesday.
"All three ships are no longer transiting Iran," Central Command said.
The United States Central Command (CENTCOM) said that more than 70 tankers were prevented from entering or leaving Iranian ports today, Reuters reports.
"These commercial vessels have the capacity to transport more than 166 million barrels of Iranian oil, valued at more than $13 billion," CENTCOM said in a post on the X network.
United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio is scheduled to meet with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni today, the second day of his visit to Italy, in an effort to ease tensions between the two countries over the Iran war.
US President Donald Trump's tariffs, his complaints about Europe's unwillingness to help the US with its war against Iran and criticism from Pope Leo XIV have fueled weeks of disagreement over trade and defence cooperation between the two traditionally strong allies.
Rubio will also meet with Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani.
His visit to Italy began yesterday with a meeting with Pope Leo as part of broader efforts to reduce transatlantic tensions.
Meloni and Tajani are expected to use the meetings to try to preserve Italy's strategic partnership with the US while resisting pressure from Washington over the Iran conflict.
Trump has criticized both the pope and the Italian government for opposing the war. Meloni called the war "illegal" and said Trump's remarks about the pope were "unacceptable." Trump accused Meloni of lacking courage and being "negative" about helping the United States with the war. Meloni was long considered one of Trump's main allies in Europe, but Trump has openly said that their relationship has cooled.
The US announced it was withdrawing 5.000 troops from Germany and Trump threatened to withdraw additional troops from Italy and Spain over their stance on the war.
Italy's role as a key logistics hub for US and allied operations in the Mediterranean, the Middle East and North Africa could be affected if troop numbers are reduced, raising concerns about NATO's position in southern Europe.
Defense cooperation was already tested in late March when Italy refused to allow US bombers en route to the Middle East to land at Sigonella base in Sicily without parliamentary approval.
The Italian Constitution and treaties specify the precise ways in which the bases can be used - they allow for logistics and training operations within NATO but generally exclude direct offensive operations such as bombing unless specifically authorized.
Meloni and Tajani have repeatedly said that Italy does not want to participate in the Iranian conflict, and that if the US seeks to use Italian bases for offensive purposes, any decision must be approved by Parliament, where there is strong opposition to war.
For Rome, both the security partnership with Washington and the economic impact of the war are at stake. Meloni warned that the closure of the Strait of Hormuz is pushing up energy prices and reducing household purchasing power, while potential US tariff threats have raised concerns for Italy's export-oriented economy.
Meloni is also shaken by the defeat in the referendum in March and faces domestic opposition to the war, which complicates her position.
Since taking power in 2022, Meloni has sought to portray herself as a reliable American ally and a bridge between Washington and Europe, but disputes over Iran, and her recent political defeat, have shown the limits of that role.
Rubio spent two and a half hours in the Vatican on Tuesday, including meetings with Pope Leo and Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin, to discuss efforts to achieve lasting peace in the Middle East and other topics of mutual interest, the State Department said. Both sides said Rubio's meetings with Pope Leo and the Vatican's top diplomat highlighted the strong bilateral ties.
US officials said the talks highlighted the strong relationship between the US and the Holy See and a shared commitment to promoting peace and human dignity.
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The shaky Iranian ceasefire came under further pressure today when the United Arab Emirates (UAE) responded with missile and drone attacks hours after the United States (US) announced it had thwarted attacks on three of its navy ships in the Strait of Hormuz and retaliated with strikes on Iranian military installations.
There are no reports from the UAE about possible damage so far.
The UAE Ministry of Defense warned citizens not to approach, photograph, or touch any debris or pieces that fell during the air defense operation.
Last night, just hours before, the US military announced that it had intercepted Iranian attacks on three ships in the Strait of Hormuz and that it had targeted Iranian military installations responsible for the attack on US forces.
Iran and the US are exchanging fire as their negotiators seek to reach an agreement to end the fighting and, for now, avoid a return to all-out war.
It is unclear how close the two sides are to an agreement on issues such as Iran's nuclear program, which the US and Israel promised to halt when they went to war on February 28, or the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway that Iran has virtually closed in an effort to pressure the global economy.
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US and Iranian forces clashed in the Persian Gulf, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) was attacked again, threatening a ceasefire and shaking hopes for a diplomatic solution to the crisis, Reuters reported today.
The fighting took place as Washington awaited Tehran's response to its proposal to end the conflict, which began with joint US-Israeli airstrikes across Iran on February 28.
United States President Donald Trump said on Thursday that three American destroyers were attacked as they passed through the Strait of Hormuz, a route for about a fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas production, which Iran has almost completely closed since the start of the conflict.
"Three world-class American destroyers successfully passed, under fire, through the Strait of Hormuz. There was no damage to the three destroyers, but great damage was done to the Iranian attackers," Trump wrote on Twitter.
Trump later told reporters that the ceasefire was still in effect and tried to downplay the significance of the exchange of fire.
"Today they played with us. We destroyed them," Trump said in Washington.
Iran's supreme military command accused the United States of violating the ceasefire by attacking an Iranian oil tanker and another ship, as well as airstrikes on civilians on Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz and surrounding coastal areas. The military command said it responded by attacking American warships east of the strait and south of the port of Chabahar.
Iranian command spokesman Hatam al-Anbiya said the Iranian attacks caused "significant damage," but US Central Command said none of its assets were hit.
Iran's Press TV later reported that, after several hours of fire, "the situation on Iranian islands and coastal cities along the Strait of Hormuz has now returned to normal."
The two sides have occasionally exchanged fire since the ceasefire came into effect on April 7, with Iran attacking targets in Gulf countries, including the UAE.
Details of the latest attack on the Emirates were not immediately available. Since the start of the war, Iran has frequently attacked the UAE and other Gulf countries that host US military bases.
Oil prices rose in Asia this morning, with Brent crude surging above $100 a barrel after the latest clashes, while stocks fell after strong gains this week on hopes of a quick resolution to the conflict.
"Despite ongoing hostilities and still-high oil prices, markets are pricing in a limited duration of the conflict," said Maria Veitmane, head of equity research at State Street Markets.
Trump again calls for diplomatic solution to war
Trump suggested that negotiations with Tehran remained on track despite the clashes on Thursday, telling reporters: "We're negotiating with Iran."
Before the latest strikes, the US had put forward a proposal that would have formally ended the conflict, but it did not address key US demands that Iran suspend its nuclear work and reopen the strait.
Tehran said it had not yet made a decision on the new plan.
Still, Trump said Tehran had acknowledged his demand that Iran never obtain a nuclear weapon, a prohibition he said he emphasized in the US proposal.
"No way. And they know it, and they agreed to it. We'll see if they're ready to sign it," Trump said.
Asked when a deal could be reached, Trump said: "It may not happen, but it could happen any day. I believe they want a deal more than I do."
The war has tested Trump's relationship with his American support base, after he campaigned on promises that the US would avoid involvement in foreign wars and would lower fuel prices.
Average U.S. gasoline prices have risen more than 40% since late February, rising about $1,20 a gallon to more than $4, according to the American Automobile Association, as disruptions to oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz have pushed up crude prices.
Iran accused the US of violating the ceasefire by attacking two ships in the Strait of Hormuz and attacking civilian areas, the Times of Israel reported.
Iran's supreme joint command, the Central Command of Hatam Al-Anbiya, said in a statement that the US "attacked an Iranian oil tanker that was sailing from Iranian coastal waters near Jask towards the Strait of Hormuz" and another ship that was entering the strait near the Emirati port of Fujairah.
"At the same time, in cooperation with some countries in the region, they carried out airstrikes on civilian areas along the coasts of Bandar Hamir, Sirik and Qeshm Island," the Khatam Al-Anbiya statement, carried by Iranian state media, said.
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