Iran attacks vessels, US base in Jordan after tankers sunk

Iran said Wednesday that it targeted 10 ships near the Strait of Hormuz, including two U.S. vessels and eight oil tankers, after the U.S. military attacked and destroyed five Iranian oil tankers Tuesday.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it struck the vessels as they attempted to pass through an area Iran declared off limits . Tehran also launched ballistic missiles toward a U.S. base in eastern Jordan.

The tit-for-tat strikes come a day after the U.S. military sunk the Iranian oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman and near Kharg Island. The Pentagon said the strikes were carried out after the Islamic Republic twice attempted to hit a Navy warship with ballistic missiles over the previous days.

The latest exchange marks another escalation in the six-month-long war around the vital shipping corridor, which Iran has restricted in retaliation.

The price of oil has surged since the traffic disruption through the strait began, and the recent attacks caused the International Brent crude oil benchmark to surpass $100 a barrel for the first time since July. President Trump brushed off the spike earlier this week, arguing prices would drop significantly after the war ended.

U.S. Central Command (Centcom), meanwhile, disputed Iran’s claim that it successfully struck the two American warships.

“Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) forces have claimed they struck two U.S. Navy destroyers operating in the Middle East. This is completely FALSE,” Centcom wrote online early Wednesday . “No U.S. Navy warship has been struck; all IRGC attempted attacks failed.”

The command added that U.S. forces have destroyed 10 Iranian tankers over the past week.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the U.S. would continue targeting Iranian tankers in response to any attempts to strike American naval vessels.

“Iran continues to try to hit U.S. naval ships, and for every time they do that or try to do that, they’re going to lose tankers,” Rubio told reporters during a visit to Colombia, according to Reuters.