US Destroys Five Iranian Oil Tankers as Iran Fires Missiles at Jordan Base

The six-month-old confrontation between the United States and Iran escalated sharply this week after US Central Command said it destroyed five Iranian oil tankers, prompting Tehran to fire ballistic missiles at a US-linked military base in Jordan and claim fresh strikes on American vessels in the Gulf.

Tankers Sunk in Response to Warship Attacks

CENTCOM said the strikes were retaliation after Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) tried twice in two days to hit a US Navy warship with ballistic missiles. The vessel evaded both attempts and no American personnel were harmed, the US military said. In response, CENTCOM struck and destroyed four Iranian crude carriers in the Gulf of Oman and a fifth near Kharg Island, the hub that handles the bulk of Iran's oil exports. Crews were reportedly told to abandon their ships before the strikes, and video released by CENTCOM showed one of the tankers sinking.

Jordan Intercepts Ballistic Missile Barrage

Iran's IRGC said it answered by striking the Al Azraq base in Jordan, which is used by American forces, describing the assault as a "punitive operation" and claiming heavy damage to facilities there. Jordan's armed forces said their air defences engaged 20 incoming ballistic missiles, intercepting and destroying 18 of them, while two fell in unpopulated areas. Officials reported no casualties and said specialised teams were securing the sites where debris fell.

The IRGC separately claimed it had targeted two US naval vessels and eight additional oil tankers passing through the Strait of Hormuz, though US officials had not corroborated those specific claims. Iran's foreign ministry condemned the American strikes on its tankers as a violation of international law, calling them a "war crime" and warning that Washington would bear responsibility for the consequences.

Oil Prices Spike, Diplomatic Fallout Widens

The exchange rattled energy markets, with Brent crude climbing toward the $100-a-barrel mark for the first time in weeks as traders priced in the risk of a wider disruption to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly a fifth of the world's oil once flowed before the conflict began. The Trump administration paired the military response with fresh economic pressure, sanctioning dozens of Iran-linked airlines and companies as part of its campaign to isolate Tehran financially.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio defended the strikes, saying Iran would keep losing tankers for every attempt to target American ships. Analysts have warned that the tit-for-tat pattern raises the risk of a broader escalation that could further destabilise energy markets and regional security, with both sides now targeting economic as well as military assets six months into the standoff.

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