The United States has attacked and rendered inoperable five Iranian oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman and near Kharg Island, saying Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps targeted a US warship twice in two days. Iran responded by firing 20 ballistic missiles at US forces at Jordan’s Al Azraq base; Jordan said 18 were intercepted and the other two fell in unpopulated areas.
The exchange caused no reported casualties at Al Azraq and no American personnel were harmed in the attempted attacks on the US warship, according to statements from Jordan’s Armed Forces and US Central Command.
What the United States says happened
US Central Command said the targeted vessel successfully evaded two attempted attacks by the IRGC over two days. It said American forces directed the tanker crews to abandon ship before striking the vessels.
The four tankers in the Gulf of Oman were the M/T Kaviz, M/T Charminar, M/T Horizon 1 and M/T Riesco. The fifth, M/T Derya, was struck near Kharg Island. Iran’s state broadcaster confirmed the attack near Kharg and said the crew was evacuated; it also reported that a second tanker was hit near the southern port of Jask. For additional context, see “What the latest US-Iran tanker attacks mean for the Strait of Hormuz”.
Iran’s response and Jordan’s account
Iran’s IRGC said “several” Iranian commercial ships were hit and described its attack on Al Azraq as a retaliation. The group claimed that hangars used by US fighter jets were destroyed, and separately claimed ballistic-missile attacks on the US Navy destroyers DDG-119 and DDG-53, saying they suffered significant damage. Those claims were not independently established in the supplied material.
Jordan’s Armed Forces said its defences engaged all 20 ballistic missiles. The two that were not intercepted fell in open areas, and specialised teams began securing sites where debris and shrapnel landed. Jordan reported no casualties. A related part of this story is covered in “US military says tanker strikes followed Iranian missile attacks”.
A widening confrontation over shipping
The attacks occurred amid escalating tensions in the Gulf, six months into the US and Israel’s war on Iran. Tehran is maintaining the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, while Washington is enforcing a naval blockade on Iranian ports.
Iranian Armed Forces chief of staff Ali Abdollahi had warned that any attack on Iranian oil tankers would lead to strikes on US bases in the region. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington would continue striking Iranian ships, saying each attempted attack on US naval vessels would result in the loss of tankers. The development of this issue can be followed in “Iran’s Hormuz plan: proposed boundaries, routes and enforcement”.
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