Washington/Tehran: The United States and Iran exchanged fresh attacks across the Middle East after American forces destroyed five Iranian oil tankers and Tehran retaliated by targeting a military base in Jordan and vessels near the Strait of Hormuz.
US Central Command said American forces struck the tankers on Tuesday after Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps allegedly launched two ballistic-missile attacks against a US Navy warship over two days. The American vessel reportedly evaded the missiles, and no US personnel were injured.
The vessels identified in reports were the Kivik, Charminar, Horizon 1, Riesco and Derya. Four were attacked in the Gulf of Oman, while the Derya was targeted near Iran’s Kharg Island oil-export hub. CENTCOM said crews were instructed to abandon the ships before they were rendered inoperable.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard subsequently announced that it had fired ballistic missiles at a base used by American forces near Al Azraq in Jordan. Tehran claimed the attack caused heavy damage, but Jordan said its air-defence systems intercepted 18 of the 20 missiles, with the remaining two falling in unpopulated areas. No casualties were reported, while a US official said all American personnel were accounted for.
The IRGC also claimed attacks on 10 vessels—including two US ships and eight oil tankers—attempting to cross an area of the Strait of Hormuz that Iran has declared unsafe. Independent confirmation of damage to those vessels was not immediately available.
The latest confrontation has ended a brief period of relative calm and renewed fears of a wider regional conflict. The Strait of Hormuz is a crucial route for global energy supplies, and continued attacks have severely disrupted commercial shipping.
Oil prices rose for a fourth consecutive session, with Brent crude approaching $100 per barrel as traders assessed the danger of prolonged supply disruptions. Higher energy prices have also intensified inflation concerns, particularly for oil-importing Asian economies.
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