Iran launched fresh attacks against US targets in the Middle East on Wednesday, escalating the conflict after American forces destroyed five Iranian oil tankers.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it had targeted 20 US vessels attempting to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global energy route that has remained largely under Iranian control since the war began.
The Guards also claimed responsibility for a missile attack on the US Al-Azraq air base in Jordan, saying the strike was carried out in retaliation for the destruction of the Iranian tankers.
Iranian state media reported that the attack damaged maintenance and repair facilities, deployment areas and aircraft shelters at the base. Jordan’s military, however, said it intercepted 18 Iranian missiles targeting the kingdom.
The latest escalation came after the United States said it had destroyed five Iranian oil tankers following an earlier Iranian attack on a US warship. US officials said the crews had been ordered to abandon the vessels before they were struck.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned that Iran would face further consequences if it continued targeting American naval vessels.
Meanwhile, Iran threatened to target oil tankers operating off the coasts of US allies Kuwait and Bahrain, ordering crews to leave the vessels and warning that the ships could be attacked.
The escalating hostilities have also sent global oil prices higher. Brent crude rose to $99.46 a barrel in Asian morning trading, while US West Texas Intermediate climbed to $94.45.
The Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas normally passes, has seen traffic severely disrupted since the conflict began.
Iran has said vessels must obtain permission and pay transit fees before passing through the strategic waterway.
The IRGC also claimed earlier that it had seized an advanced unmanned US submarine drone in the strait. The US military disputed the claim, saying the drone had malfunctioned and was an older model that did not contain sensitive information.
Iranian state television further reported that the Guards had attacked two US destroyers with ballistic missiles, although the US military had not immediately confirmed the claim.
The latest attacks mark another major escalation between Washington and Tehran, with the conflict increasingly threatening regional security and global energy supplies.
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