dpThe US military struck five Iranian tankers on Tuesday, sinking one, after Iran fired ballistic missiles at a US Navy warship, in a fresh escalation of fighting in the Middle East.
The attacks prompted a significant retaliation from Iran, which launched a missile barrage toward regional US ally Jordan, saying it was targeting US military assets.
Four crude oil carriers in the Gulf of Oman and one near Kharg Island –– a hub for Iranian oil exports in the Persian Gulf –– were struck on Tuesday, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said.
One of the ships, identified as the M/T Riesco, is seen on fire and sinking in the Gulf of Oman in a video posted to X by the military.
US forces instructed the crews of the vessels they targeted to abandon ship prior to striking, CENTCOM said. Iranian state media said the crew of two vessels have been taken ashore in lifeboats.
The US strikes were in response to two Iranian attempts to attack a US Navy ship over the past two days. The US ship evaded the missiles and was continuing to patrol regional waters, CENTCOM said, adding that “no American personnel were harmed.”
The exchange of strikes comes as the US has focused its strategy on ramping up economic pressure on the Tehran regime, by prioritizing striking or disabling targets around the Strait of Hormuz, conducting escort operations for commercial vessels through the key waterway and maintaining its naval blockade on Iranian ports.
Iran retaliated to the US strikes by launching missiles at Jordan, saying it was targeting Muwaffaq Salti Air Base, a key facility used by US forces.
The Jordanian army said its air defenses dealt with 20 ballistic missiles, 18 of them successfully destroyed, with two falling in unpopulated areas. No deaths were reported, the army said.
The latest strikes come after US forces hit three Iranian crude oil carriers over the weekend, in response to an Iranian attempt to attack a US aircraft carrier and guided-missile destroyer.
The attack on Jordan “represents a significant geographic expansion of direct Iranian military activity and demonstrates the growing risk of the conflict spilling beyond the principal belligerents,” shipping intelligence and tracking firm Marisks said in an update on Wednesday.
Iran’s repeated attempts to attack US warships and the increased “quality and quantity” of the missiles it fired at US targets in the region showed “a pattern of gradual escalation,” said Hamidreza Azizi, senior Iran analyst at the International Crisis Group think tank, on X.
Iran also threatened on Tuesday to target oil tankers near Bahraini and Kuwaiti ports.
“We warn all crews aboard oil tankers in the vicinity of ports in Kuwait and Bahrain — which host these (American) terrorists and are partners in their hostile actions — to immediately leave their vessels, whether they are at anchor or docked at the ports, as the vessels will be targeted,” state broadcaster IRIB quoted the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as saying.
Azizi said an Iranian attack on tankers stationed in ports in the region, rather than those attempting to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, would be a first.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, during his trip to Colombia, warned Tehran that the US would respond every time Iran targeted its naval ships.
“Iran continues to try to hit US naval ships and for every time they do that, or try to do that, they’re going to lose tankers,” he told reporters in the city of Barranquilla.
As part of the US’ pressure campaign on Tehran, the Trump administration also took sweeping actions against Iran’s airline industry on Tuesday. The sanctions affect 27 Iranian airlines and nine service providers and sales agents accused of providing services to Mahan Air, which has been sanctioned since 2011. The private airline is accused of providing key support to the IRGC.
The US campaign has put Iran under unprecedented pressure, forcing its fatigued population to endure still more strain. But its leaders are quick to downplay the impact of sanctions.
“After Washington failed to achieve its objectives through either sanctions or war, its ‘innovative’ solution is: more sanctions!! Are you serious?!!” Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on X on Tuesday.
This story has been updated with additional information.
