Iranian state media on Sunday aired footage showing an oil tanker ablaze after being struck while transiting the Strait of Hormuz, asserting that the vessel was targeted as it “passed illegally through the waterway.” The broadcast comes amid intense regional escalation following unprovoked strikes by the United States and “Israel” against Iran.

According to Fars News Agency, Mohsen Rezaei, a high-ranking member of Iran’s Expediency Discernment Council, declared that “no American ship will be allowed to enter the Persian Gulf." While he did not specify exact enforcement measures, the declaration pointed to a sharper Iranian posture regarding control and security of its maritime domain.