US Claims Destruction of Five Iranian Oil Tankers as Iran Launches Retaliatory Missile Strikes

WASHINGTON, TEHRAN: Tensions between the United States and Iran in the Middle East have escalated sharply, with the US Central Command claiming that American forces destroyed five Iranian crude oil tankers, while Iran reportedly launched dozens of ballistic missiles at a US military base in Jordan and claimed to have targeted 20 vessels in the Persian Gulf.

According to international media reports, the US Central Command said Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) had attempted to attack a US warship operating in the Gulf waters twice with ballistic missiles over the past two days. The attacks were reportedly intercepted by US air defenses and the warship.

In response, US forces carried out strikes that allegedly destroyed five Iranian crude oil tankers. The US military said all American personnel remained safe during the confrontations and that US naval patrols continued in international waters in the region.

Iranian state media and IRGC-linked sources, meanwhile, said Tehran had announced a strong retaliatory response following the US action. Dozens of ballistic missiles were reportedly launched from military bases in Tehran, Isfahan, Tabriz and Khorramabad.

The IRGC reportedly targeted the Al-Azraq US military base in Jordan with more than two dozen ballistic missiles. Russian media reports said the Pentagon’s advanced air-defense systems in Jordan were activated to intercept the Iranian missiles.

The situation has further intensified after the Iranian Navy and IRGC reportedly warned that Kuwait and Bahrain could be considered parties to US actions in the region. Iranian armed forces allegedly warned that oil tankers anchored at or operating from ports in Kuwait and Bahrain could also be targeted and called on vessel crews to evacuate immediately.

The claims from both sides could not be independently verified.