Strait of Hormuz — The global energy lifeline is under unprecedented threat after Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Navy claimed it has hit 10 oil and gas tankers in the Strait of Hormuz, vowing to “turn this corridor into a graveyard for enemy commerce” in retaliation for US–Israeli strikes on Iran.

In a televised statement from a coastal operations room, an IRGC admiral boasted that “precision naval missiles, drones and fast‑boat teams” had struck tankers “linked to the US, Israel and their partners,” forcing several to halt or broadcast distress calls. Grainy footage aired on state TV shows columns of smoke rising from vessels in the distance and panicked radio traffic demanding firefighting assistance and naval escorts.

Shipping trackers confirm that multiple tankers abruptly stopped or veered off course after explosions were reported, though exact damage remains unclear. Insurance firms have suspended new cover for transits through the strait, while major energy companies are ordering ships to hold position or reroute around Africa, sending oil prices and freight rates soaring.

Washington and its allies accuse Tehran of “economic terrorism,” warning that any attack on commercial shipping will trigger “severe and direct consequences.” US warships are already racing to form emergency convoys, with helicopters and drones scanning for mines and hostile fast boats in the narrow channel.

Analysts warn that if Iran’s claims are even partly true, the conflict has crossed a terrifying threshold: from missiles on bases and cities to deliberate strikes on the arteries of the world economy — a move that risks dragging not just the Middle East, but every oil‑dependent nation, into the fallout of this war.