US Destroys 5 Iran Oil Tankers; Iran Hits Jordan Base — SkimNews
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- CENTCOM destroyed five Iranian oil tankers — M/T Kaviz, Charminar, Horizon 1, and Riesco in the Gulf of Oman, plus M/T Derya near Kharg Island — after the IRGC targeted a US warship twice in two days, directing crews to abandon ship first.
- Jordan's Armed Forces said air defenses intercepted 18 of 20 ballistic missiles fired at Al Azraq base, with two landing in unpopulated areas and no casualties reported.
- The IRGC claimed ballistic missile strikes on US destroyers DDG-119 and DDG-53 causing "significant damage" and attacks on 2 US vessels and 8 tankers in the region; the US offered no immediate comment on the claims.
- Oil prices rose to $99.49 a barrel in early Wednesday trading as Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz and the US enforced a naval blockade on Iranian ports.
- Iran's Foreign Ministry condemned the US strikes as a "war crime" and UN charter violation; Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington would not back down, vowing to sink an Iranian tanker for every attack on a US warship.
- Iran's Armed Forces chief of staff Ali Abdollahi warned Tehran would strike US military installations across the region if Iranian tankers were targeted, while the IRGC separately told crews to evacuate oil tankers near Bahrain and Kuwait's borders.
Why it matters: The exchange drove oil to $99.49 a barrel as Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz and the US enforced a naval blockade on Iranian ports. Tehran paired its strikes with a "war crime" condemnation, warnings to evacuate tankers near Bahrain and Kuwait, and a planned restricted zone outside the strait — six months into the conflict.
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