One of the ships caught fire after being hit by a projectile as it was leaving the strait off the coast of Oman, the British military maritime traffic watchdog UKMTO previously said.
Iranian state media reported that the ship, which was loaded with liquefied petroleum gas and had come from Qatar, was attacked when it ignored warnings, but without confirming whether Iran was responsible.
A second tanker was hit by an “unknown projectile” and a third ship by a drone, according to UKMTO.
60 days
A US government spokesperson called the attacks “completely unacceptable.” The US Treasury Department is now canceling the agreement that temporarily allowed Iran to produce, sell and transport oil - as part of the memorandum of understanding between Iran and the US.
The exemption would have been valid for 60 days until August 21.
A spokesperson for Qatar's foreign ministry singled out Iran and condemned the attacks as unacceptable violations of international law. Saudi Arabia also condemned and accused Iran.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei, in turn, described the accusations from neighboring countries as unacceptable, according to the state-controlled Irna news agency.
The multinational Joint Maritime Information Center based in Bahrain, a coordination body between military and civilian shipping, writes on X that the threat level for the region has been raised from "moderate" to "severe".
No injuries
The latest moves are causing international crude oil futures prices to rise.
According to UKMTO, there is no information about injured persons or environmental impact from the ship attacks.
When the Iran-Iraq War broke out, Iran imposed a blockade in the Strait of Hormuz.
But since the US and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding in mid-June to end the war, traffic through the strait has partially resumed, which has led to a drop in oil prices.
