Washington: The United States has destroyed five Iranian oil tankers in the Gulf and Gulf of Oman, escalating the confrontation with Tehran after Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) allegedly targeted a US warship twice in two days.
According to the US Central Command, four tankers were struck in the Gulf of Oman and another near Iran’s Kharg Island, a key hub for the country’s oil exports. US officials said the vessels were linked to Iran’s IRGC and that their crews were ordered to abandon the ships before the strikes.
Iran responded by launching missiles at US forces stationed at the Al Azraq base in Jordan. Jordanian authorities said their air defences intercepted 18 of the 20 missiles, while the remaining missiles landed in open areas. No casualties were immediately reported.
The latest exchange marks another sharp escalation in the more than six-month US-Iran conflict. Washington says the tanker strikes were retaliation for attempted Iranian missile attacks on a US Navy warship, while Tehran has continued to warn that it will respond to American military action.
The confrontation is also raising concerns over the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world's most important oil shipping routes. Global crude prices briefly approached $100 a barrel amid fears that further escalation could disrupt regional energy supplies.
With US forces targeting Iranian oil infrastructure and Tehran expanding its retaliatory threats across the region, fears are growing that the conflict could widen beyond the immediate US-Iran battlefield.
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