Tehran: The United States military destroyed five Iranian oil tankers on Tuesday in retaliatory strikes after Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps targeted an American Navy warship with ballistic missiles twice over two days, officials said. In response to the maritime strikes, Tehran retaliated by launching ballistic missiles toward American installations in Jordan, escalating a more than six-month conflict back toward open hostilities.
Jordanian air defence systems intercepted 18 ballistic missiles fired toward its territory, while two others fell in unpopulated areas with no casualties reported. United States Central Command stated that the targeted American warship successfully evaded the Iranian missile attacks and sustained no injuries to personnel or operational damage. CENTCOM confirmed that American forces instructed crews to evacuate before destroying the Kivik, Charminar, Horizon 1, and Riesco in the Gulf of Oman, alongside the Derya near Kharg Island. Iranian state media confirmed attacks on tankers near Jask and Kharg Island, confirming that crews had evacuated.
The military strikes coincided with fresh economic measures by the Trump administration, which imposed sanctions targeting more than two dozen commercial and private airlines as well as cargo service providers connected to Iran’s aviation network. Addressing reporters while on an official visit to Colombia, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington would continue responding firmly, warning that Iran will lose tankers every time it attempts to target American naval vessels.
The intensifying conflict over the Strait of Hormuz continues to exert pressure on global energy markets, where international benchmark Brent crude surged to 99.46 dollars a barrel on Tuesday amid the disruptions. Meanwhile, the Revolutionary Guard Navy warned commercial tanker crews near ports in Kuwait and Bahrain to evacuate immediately, threatening retaliatory strikes and accusing both Gulf nations of facilitating American operations.
