Iranian media report US strike on Iranian oil tanker near Kharg Island

# Analysis This escalation marks a dangerous threshold in US-Iran hostilities, moving from strikes on military assets to direct targeting of economic infrastructure with civilian implications. The attack on an oil tanker signals Washington's willingness to disrupt Iran's primary revenue source and demonstrates that neither side is observing traditional constraints on retaliation. Such tit-for-tat strikes on energy infrastructure could trigger a rapid cycle of escalation that destabilizes global oil markets, raises prices for consumers worldwide, and increases the risk of miscalculation that could draw in regional allies and create a broader conflict. Without diplomatic off-ramps, this pattern suggests the two nations are abandoning the measured responses that have characterized previous confrontations in favor of direct economic warfare with unpredictable consequences.