Iran–US–Israel War: Competing Claims Over Destroying a Tanker and Fighter Jets

War between the United States (US) and Israel with Iran has escalated with a sequence of attacks. Iran now claims to have attacked a tanker owned by the US in the Persian Gulf. According to AFP on Saturday, 7 March 2026, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said its forces attacked a tanker flagged by the Marshall Islands. They described the vessel as an American asset. ‘The tanker ship trading under the name Louise P, flagged by the Marshall Islands, one of the United States’ terrorist assets, was attacked by a drone in the middle of the Persian Gulf,’ the IRGC said on its website, Sepah News. Meanwhile, according to Al Jazeera, the Israeli military also claims to have destroyed 16 aircraft belonging to the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which is tasked with operations beyond Iran’s borders, during overnight strikes in Tehran. In an official statement, the Israeli air force said it had launched a ‘massive wave of attacks’ on the capital, including attack on Mehrabad Airport. The Israeli military claims the airport is used by the Quds Force as a hub to transfer weapons and money to armed groups across the Middle East, including Hezbollah in Lebanon. The claims could not yet be verified and to date there has been no comment from Iranian authorities. (wnv/rfs)