Iran has threatened to push the cost of a barrel of oil to $200 in a chilling threat to the West.

The regime’s military warned British cargo ships in the Gulf are now “legitimate targets” as it aims to choke off all supply.

Three cargo ships have already been hit by projectiles in the Strait of Hormuz.

The maritime corridor, a passage for one-fifth of the world’s oil, has all but stopped after Tehran claimed control of the shipping lane and threatened to attack any vessel attempting to pass through it.

The Islamic regime’s Khatam al-Anbiya military command headquarters said it will “not allow even a single litre of oil” to pass through the Strait.

And in an attempt to goad the US, Israel and its allies its spokesman Ebrahim Zolfaqari said: “We won’t allow even one litre of oil to reach the ‌US, Zionists and their partners. Any vessel or ‌tanker bound to them ⁠will be a legitimate target. Get ready for the oil barrel to be at $200 because the oil price depends on the regional security which you have destabilised.”

The threat came as the Thailand-flagged bulk carrier Mayuree Naree was struck and damaged north of Oman, according to surveillance by the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO). Twenty sailors were rescued, but three remain missing.

A second ship, the Marshall Islands-flagged bulk carrier Star Gwyneth, was hit by a projectile north-west of Dubai. The vessel suffered hull damage but all crew members are safe.

And a third vessel, a Japan-flagged container ship, sustained minor damage near the United Arab Emirates.

The Islamic Republic’s joint command said it would move from a strategy of “reciprocal hits” to “continuous strikes” meaning all vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz are in the firing line in a move it warned could push global oil prices to $200 (£160) a barrel.

The US said it had destroyed 16 boats amid reports that Tehran had begun placing mines in the Strait.

US defence secretary Pete Hegseth said the strikes were part of the “most intense” raid on Iran since the war started as Israel started a new “wide-scale wave” of strikes targeting Iranian government infrastructure and facilities of the Iran-backed Hezbollah militia in Beirut, Lebanon.

The G7 nations – the club of the world’s richest economies – said they support releasing “strategic reserves” of oil as price volatility continues because of the war.

All countries that are members of the International Energy Association are required to keep reserves of oil in case of global disruptions – roughly 90 days’ worth of supplies.

It also emerged that Iran’s new supreme leader was injured before he succeeded his assassinated father.

Mojtaba Khamenei has not appeared in videos, been seen in public, or made any statements about replacing Ayatollah Ali Khamenei who was killed in a bombing blitz on February 28.

Sources suggest one reason is any communication could reveal his whereabouts and put him in danger.

Another is the hardline 56-year-old was badly injured during the opening exchanges of Operation Epic Fury the joint US-Israeli strike on Tehran that started war in the Middle East.

The missile pounding eliminated the 86-year-old cleric, his daughter, son-in-law, grandson, and top-ranking security officials in one of was one of the most significant blows to Iran’s leadership since the 1979 Islamic revolution.

Now it has been claimed Mojtaba, who was appointed by a cabal of senior clerics days after US President Donald Trump said he was an “unacceptable choice”, was wounded on the first day of the Allied attack.

Israeli military officials claimed intelligence suggested he suffered leg injuries.

Iranian state television has referred to him as “wounded war veteran” and he has also been called “janbaz jang” – a Persian term for a veteran wounded in war.

Meanwhile, Iran has said it will not participate in this year’s football World Cup – held jointly between Canada, Mexico and the United States – after ‌Ali Khamenei was killed.

Tehran said of the prospect of travelling to America: “Considering that this corrupt ‌regime has assassinated our ‌leader, under no ⁠circumstances can ⁠we participate in the World Cup.”