The United States military said it destroyed five Iranian oil tankers on Tuesday after Iranian forces allegedly launched fresh attacks against American warships, prompting another round of retaliatory strikes that has intensified tensions between Washington and Tehran.
Iran responded by launching missiles toward US-linked targets in Jordan, according to Iranian state media. Jordanian authorities said its air defenses intercepted 18 ballistic missiles headed toward its territory, while two others fell in uninhabited areas. No casualties were reported.
Jordan, a close US ally that hosts American troops, has repeatedly come under Iranian attacks during the conflict. US Central Command said it had no additional information on the reported strikes.
The latest escalation comes as President Donald Trump pursues a combination of military and economic pressure aimed at bringing the conflict to an end. On Tuesday, his administration also announced new sanctions targeting more than two dozen commercial and private airlines, along with foreign cargo operators, as part of efforts to further restrict Iran’s international trade.
The United States and Iran are also contesting control over the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial global shipping route through which roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil previously passed before the conflict began.
The continuing disruptions have pushed energy prices higher, creating additional political pressure on Trump and Republicans ahead of the November midterm elections. Brent crude, the international benchmark, briefly climbed to $99.46 a barrel on Tuesday.
The latest tanker strikes follow a similar US operation on Saturday, when American forces destroyed three Iranian tankers after Iran’s Revolutionary Guards allegedly attempted to attack a US aircraft carrier and destroyer with ballistic missiles.
The US military had warned that it would, “if necessary, destroy Iran’s limited and exposed oil fleet.”
Iran subsequently said it planned to establish a new “exclusion zone” near the Strait of Hormuz for vessels preparing to pass through the strategic waterway.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington would continue responding to attacks against its naval forces.
“Iran continues to try to hit U.S. naval ships. And for every time they do that or try to do that, they’re going to lose tankers. And I think you’ll see that again today,” Rubio told reporters Tuesday during a visit to Colombia.
Danny Citrinowicz, an Iran specialist at Israel’s Institute for National Security Studies, warned that continued military retaliation could trigger a broader and increasingly difficult-to-control crisis.
“There is no kinetic solution to the Strait of Hormuz problem,” he said on social media. “Every attempt to impose one only brings Washington and Tehran closer to an escalation that may become increasingly difficult to control.”
US Central Command said the tanker attacks followed two separate attempts by the Revolutionary Guards to strike a US Navy vessel with ballistic missiles over a two-day period.
Central Command identified the five tankers destroyed on Tuesday as the Kivik, Charminar, Horizon 1, Riesco, and Derya. Four were struck in the Gulf of Oman, while the Derya was located near Kharg Island in the Strait of Hormuz.
The military said the crews aboard all five vessels were ordered to abandon ship before the attacks were carried out.
Iranian state television also reported the strikes, saying US forces hit Iranian oil tankers near the southern port of Jask and around Kharg Island in the Persian Gulf. The crews were reportedly evacuated.
A state television correspondent in Jask said a tanker was struck near the coast of Yekbeni, while another report later said a second tanker had been hit in waters off Jask. Separately, Iranian state media reported another tanker attack in the anchorage area near Kharg Island.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Navy also warned oil tanker crews near ports in Kuwait and Bahrain to leave their vessels immediately. It said the ships could become targets in retaliation for the US attacks, accusing the two Gulf states of hosting American forces and supporting Washington’s military operations.
The US blockade of Iranian ports has further strained Tehran’s economy by restricting its oil exports. Meanwhile, American forces have been helping a limited number of vessels navigate through a designated route in the Strait of Hormuz near Oman.
Tehran, however, wants commercial vessels to use a route of its choosing through the strait, which was widely regarded as an international waterway before the conflict.