The United States said on Saturday it destroyed three Iranian oil tankers in response to attempted missile attacks on American naval vessels. The U.S. military said the tankers were linked to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), describing them as part of a shadow network helping to fund the guard and its armed proxies in the region.

Iran's military responded by warning of tougher reprisals if the strikes continued. Iran's Revolutionary Guards said they had targeted U.S.-linked ships in response to the U.S. action.

The latest round of clashes follows U.S. raids last week and comes as both sides remain deadlocked in a six-month war. Iran has maintained control over the strategic Strait of Hormuz, while the United States is pressing a counter-blockade of Iranian ports.

In addition to the military strikes, Washington announced sanctions on entities with financial links to Iran, saying the measures were intended to further isolate Tehran and force it into submission. No further details on the sanctioned entities were provided in the reports.