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US forces struck five Iranian tankers on Tuesday, sinking one, in response to Tehran twice targeting an American warship, US Central Command (Centcom) said.<\/b><\/p>\n
Four Iranian oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman linked to Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) were targeted, as well as another near Kharg Island, a major oil terminal off Iran’s coast, Centcom added.<\/p>\n
Tehran responded by launching missiles at a US base in Jordan – most of which were shot down – and said it attacked two US vessels and eight oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz.<\/p>\n
Tit-for-tat strikes between the two countries have escalated in the past week, more than six months after the US and Israel launched attacks on Iran on 28 February.<\/p>\n
Oil prices rose in early trading in Asia. Benchmark Brent crude was up by 1.5% at $99.41 (\u00a373.39) a barrel, while US-traded oil was 1.6% higher at $94.55.<\/p>\n
Jordan said it had shot down 18 of the 20 Iranian missiles, while two of them fell in unpopulated areas, an official spokesperson for the Jordanian Armed Forces said. <\/p>\n
After warning of further retaliatory strikes, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said on Wednesday they had attacked two US vessels, eight oil tankers and 10 “non-compliant vessels” trying to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, state media reported.<\/p>\n
The latest round of escalation comes after Iran targeted a US warship with ballistic missiles, which Centcom said were “successfully evaded”. It added that no American troops were harmed during the attacks.<\/p>\n
In response, the US said that the five Iranian oil tankers it targeted were “part of a multi-billion-dollar shadow network that funds the IRGC and its regional proxies”.<\/p>\n
One of the ships it had struck, the M\/T Riesco, sunk in the Gulf of Oman, Centcom later said, posting a video on X of the damaged vessel. <\/p>\n
Kharg Island – where one Iranian tanker was attacked in the latest round of US strikes – hosts Iran’s main terminal for exporting oil. <\/p>\n
Some 90% of the country’s crude oil passes through the island in the Gulf, transported through pipes from the mainland.<\/p>\n
Pressure on oil prices has been exacerbated by wider regional instability. <\/p>\n
Also on Tuesday, Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi movement attacked energy facilities and civilian infrastructure<\/a> in Saudi Arabia, injuring 73 people, according to Saudi authorities.<\/p>\n The drone and missile attack caused fires at oil facilities and installations that led to a temporary halt in operations, Saudi Arabia’s military and energy ministry said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n