Iran live updates: 1st purported message from new supreme leader read on state TV

Energy Secretary Chris Wright told CNBC that the U.S. Navy is "not ready" to escort oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz, but he said it could happen by the end of the month.

"It will happen relatively soon, but it can't happen now," Wright said. "We're simply not ready. All of our military assets right now are focused on destroying Iran's offensive capabilities and the manufacturing industry that supplies their offensive capabilities."

In an interview on CNN, Wright was asked if the U.S. can declare victory without the Strait of Hormuz being reopened.

"No, the Strait of Hormuz needs to be and will be reopened. The U.S. military is there for the -- is there to solve a long-term problem," he said, pinning the blame on the Iranian regime.

-ABC News' Emily Chang

Mojtaba Khamenei, the newly installed supreme leader of Iran, is expected to issue a "strategic" message on Thursday, Iranian state media reported.

Khamenei was chosen on Sunday to replace his father, Ali Khamenei, the former supreme leader, who was killed on the first day of the U.S.-Israeli strikes.

-ABC News' Joe Simonetti

The Iranian military claimed on Thursday to have struck a vessel owned by a U.S. company off the Iraqi coast in the Persian Gulf, saying it targeted the "Safesea Vishnu" after the vessel "disobeyed and ignored the warnings" of the Iranian navy.

That oil tanker, which was sailing under a Marshall Islands flag, was identified by Iraq's state oil company as one of two hit with projectiles in the country's territorial waters early on Thursday.

The other ship struck nearby was the "Zefyros," a Maltese-flagged oil and chemical tanker, Iraq said. Iran did not claim responsibility for that apparent attack.

Both ships were hit with projectiles that resulted in fires onboard, according to U.K. Maritime Trade Operations, a tracking organization.

Videos verified by ABC News show flames engulfing the "Safesea Vishnu" as the crew of an adjacent vessel throw rubber rings to people in the water.

A third ship was also struck Thursday morning off the coast of the United Arab Emirates, near the Strait of Hormuz, the UKMTO organization said. Iran also did not claim responsibility for that strike.

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said in a statement announcing the "Safesea" strike that it was policing the gulf and strait to ensure vessels "act in accordance with the laws and regulations" that Iran has put in place "in order to remain safe from being hit by stray projectiles."

-ABC News' Helena Skinner and Somayeh Malekian

A ship was reported to have been hit early on Thursday by a projectile near the Strait of Hormuz, a few hours after two ships were similarly struck in the Persian Gulf off the coast of Iraq, according to the U.K. Maritime Trade Center, a tracking organization.

The vessel was struck by an "unknown" projectile 35 nautical miles north of Jebel Ali, the United Arab Emirates, causing a small fire on board, according to the UKMTO.

Two tankers were also hit in the early hours of Thursday morning by "unknown" projectiles, leading to fires on board both ships, the UKMTO said in an earlier alert and update.

The vessels were hit off the coast approximately 5 nautical miles south of al Basrah, Iraq, according to the UKMTO. All crew members were evacuated, the organization said.

-ABC News' Zoe Magee