At the same time, US President Donald Trump warned that the "big wave" has not really started, making the risk of a full-scale conflict explosion increasingly real.
On March 2, the Commander of the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced that the Strait of Hormuz has been blocked and any ships trying to pass through can become targets.
This move comes after Iran's Supreme Leader, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, was killed in an Israeli airstrike.
If completely blocked, Hormuz - the transit point for about 1/5 of global oil - could shake the energy market, pushing oil prices to skyrocket. This strategic sea route connects major oil exporters in the Gulf region such as Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea.
Tensions immediately escalated when Iranian media reported that an oil tanker flying the Honduras flag named Athe Nova caught fire in the Strait of Hormuz after hitting two drones. The Revolutionary Guards accused the ship of "coordinating actions with the US".
Maritime tracking data shows that this 96m long ship was present in the area right before the attack occurred.
An Iranian military spokesman did not directly confirm that the Iranian drone hit the ship, but mentioned the incident in news reports about the military operations of this force on state television. Iranian media also said that the ship was supplying fuel to a US Navy warship. The registered owner of the ship has not commented.
Meanwhile in Washington, President Donald Trump declared in a 9-minute phone interview with CNN that the US military is "attacking a strong blow" to Iran, but the real "big wave" has not yet occurred.
We are hitting them very hard. Everything is progressing well. Very strong. We have the greatest army in the world and are using it," Trump said, while warning: "We haven't even really hit hard yet. The big wave is coming.
The US President said that what surprised him the most was Iran's attacks on Arab countries in the region such as Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar and the UAE. According to him, Washington once reassured these countries that the US could control the situation, but now they "want to fight and are fighting fiercely".
Mr. Trump added that Iran's attacks on hotels and apartment buildings in some Arab countries have angered the leaders of these countries. "They love us, but they are watching. There is no reason for them to be dragged in," he said.
The US leader emphasized that the nuclear threat from Iran has been a "black cloud" covering the region for many years. "As long as that cloud exists, there will be no peace," he affirmed.
