US Strikes Five Iranian Tankers Amid Gulf War Escalation

The United States struck and destroyed five Iranian oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman and near Kharg Island, US Central Command said, after accusing Tehran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of twice attempting to attack a US warship over two days. CENTCOM identified the vessels as M/T Kaviz, M/T Charminar, M/T Horizon 1, M/T Riesco and M/T Derya, saying crews were ordered to abandon ship before the strikes and that no American personnel were harmed. Iran responded by firing missiles at the Al Azraq base in Jordan, which the IRGC said destroyed hangars used by US fighter jets. Jordan's Armed Forces said air defences intercepted 18 of 20 ballistic missiles fired, with two falling in unpopulated areas and no casualties reported. The IRGC also claimed strikes on two American vessels and eight tankers, causing what it called "great damage," though the US did not immediately confirm these claims. The exchange follows six months of war between the US and Israel against Iran, with Tehran having closed the Strait of Hormuz and Washington enforcing a naval blockade on Iranian ports. Oil prices rose to $99.49 a barrel in early Wednesday trading. Iran's Foreign Ministry condemned the tanker strikes as a "war crime" and a violation of the UN charter, while US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, speaking in Colombia, said Washington would not back down, warning that Iran would "lose tankers" for any further attempts to hit US naval ships. The IRGC separately claimed capturing a US underwater drone near the Strait of Hormuz, which the US described as a malfunctioning, non-classified device.