United States destroys Iranian tankers; Iran retaliates with strikes on Jordan base
On 8 September, US forces destroyed five Iranian oil tankers in retaliation for Iranian missile attacks on a US Navy warship. The following day, Iran's Revolutionary Guards struck a US military base in Jordan, and although Jordanian air defences intercepted most incoming missiles, the incident marked an escalation in the six-month conflict between the two nations.
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Tensions between the United States and Iran over the Strait of Hormuz intensified significantly this week. US Central Command reported that American forces destroyed five Iranian oil tankers on Tuesday, 8 September. The tankers were identified as the Kivik, Charminar, Horizon 1, Riesco and Derya. The US military had warned the crews to evacuate before conducting the strikes, which followed two separate ballistic missile attacks by Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps against a US Navy warship over the previous two days. The American warship successfully avoided these attacks with no casualties reported.
In response, the Revolutionary Guard confirmed the loss of the five tankers and announced what it described as "fierce missile strikes" on the Al-Azraq base in Jordan on Wednesday. Iranian officials claimed they had destroyed hangars housing US fighter jets. Additionally, Iranian state media claimed ballistic missile strikes on two US Navy destroyers and further attacks on tankers in the region, although Washington had not confirmed these reports by Wednesday. Meanwhile, Iran's military chief of staff, Ali Abdollahi, had previously warned that Tehran would target US installations across the region if its tankers were attacked.
Jordan's armed forces reported that their air defence systems intercepted 18 of 20 ballistic missiles fired toward the country, with the remaining two falling in unpopulated areas and causing no casualties. Specialised teams were sent to secure the debris. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, speaking during a visit to Colombia, defended the American strikes and stated that Washington would not back down in response to continued Iranian attacks on US naval vessels. Analysts described this exchange as the latest escalation in a conflict lasting over six months, which has repeatedly disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and created uncertainty in global oil markets.
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