Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) fired ballistic missiles at a US military base in Jordan and attacked 10 vessels on Wednesday, sharply escalating the six-month-old war after the United States destroyed five Iranian oil tankers.
The latest exchanges have ended a month of relative calm, with both sides increasingly targeting military, shipping and energy infrastructure. The escalation has pushed up oil prices and drawn regional allies further into the conflict in recent days, reports Reuters.
The US military said it destroyed five Iranian oil tankers on Tuesday. US Central Command (Centcom) released footage of the strikes, saying they came in response to the IRGC targeting a US Navy warship twice with ballistic missiles over the previous two days. Washington said no American personnel were injured.
“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,” US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters during a visit to Colombia.
Iran launched ballistic missiles at a base used by US forces near Al Azraq in Jordan, according to an IRGC statement carried by Iranian state media.
The IRGC claimed the attack caused heavy damage, but Jordan said its air defences intercepted 18 of the 20 Iranian missiles.
The remaining two landed in unpopulated areas, and Jordan reported no casualties. A US official said the strikes were ineffective and confirmed that all American troops were accounted for.
The IRGC also said on Wednesday that it had attacked 10 ships, including two US vessels and eight oil tankers, as they attempted to pass through a “prohibited and unsafe” area of the Strait of Hormuz, a vital energy route that has been largely choked off by Iranian attacks.
Iran has repeatedly targeted US assets and regional allies during the war, including several attacks in Jordan. At least two US military personnel were killed in one such strike in July.
Iran has also threatened oil tankers at ports in Kuwait and Bahrain, according to a statement carried by Iranian state media. Separately, a maritime security source said a liquefied natural gas tanker was damaged at the Emirati port of Khor Fakkan, although it remained unclear who was responsible.
