Iran targets ten ships and a Jordanian facility as the US bombs five Iranian oil tankers.

Following the US’s announcement that it has sunk five Iranian oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman and close to Kharg Island after accusing Tehran of firing ballistic missiles at a US warship, Iran claims to have attacked ten ships in the Strait of Hormuz.

Additionally, Iran launched missiles toward US troops based in Jordan’s Al-Azraq facility. Six months into the US and Israel’s war on Iran, tensions in the Gulf are rising as Tehran closes the Strait of Hormuz and Washington imposes a naval embargo on Iranian ports. This is why there was an exchange of gunfire overnight and on Wednesday morning. Early trade on Wednesday saw oil prices surpass $100 per barrel due to the conflicts. The US attacks on Iranian tankers were denounced by Iran’s Foreign Ministry.

“In response to the US’s aggressive actions against Iranian oil tankers, armed forces, in accordance with their inherent right of legitimate defence, attacked US military bases and facilities located in Jordan, which continues to support US military attacks against Iran, as well as several US vessels, ” it said.

In a statement late on Tuesday, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) had sought to target a US warship twice over the past two days, but that the vessel “successfully evaded the attempted Iranian attacks”.

“No American personnel were harmed,” it said. The Iranian oil ships M/T Kaviz, M/T Charminar, M/T Horizon 1, and M/T Riesco in the Gulf of Oman, as well as M/T Derya close to Kharg island, were struck and destroyed, according to CENTCOM. Later on, it released a video claiming to show the M/T Riesco sinking in the Gulf of Oman.

Five tankers were targeted, according to the IRGC. It said that hangars used by US fighter jets were destroyed in the “fierce missile strikes” it carried out in retaliation against the Al-Azraq base in Jordan.The US Navy DDG-119 and DDG-53 destroyers were the target of ballistic missile attacks, according to the IRGC, which also claimed that the strikes inflicted “significant damage… to these vessels.”

The US did not immediately respond to the Iranian allegations. The ship strikes came after the IRGC issued a warning about impending attacks on oil tankers near the borders of Bahrain and Kuwait. According to the IRGC, all crews need to leave right away.

The IRGC also stated that a marine restricted region, whose exact coordinates will be disclosed, would stretch from Chabahar in Iran into portions of the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman. The announcement comes after Iran’s Supreme National Security Council secretary, Mohsen Rezaei, stated on Sunday that Iran would create a restricted area outside the Strait of Hormuz

The US conducted attacks on three Iranian oil tankers on September 5, with one sinking, prompting Iran to retaliate against commercial and US-linked ships. Iran condemned the US actions as violations of the UN charter and labeled them “war crimes,” emphasizing that the US is responsible for the consequences. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio justified the strikes, asserting that the US will respond to Iranian threats against naval ships, suggesting these actions are part of a strategy to economically undermine Iran. Meanwhile, the IRGC claimed to have captured a US unmanned submarine in the Strait of Hormuz, although the US military stated it malfunctioned and posed no risk.