The conflict between Iran and the United States has intensified, with Tehran launching new strikes against American positions in the Middle East after US forces attacked Iranian oil tankers, raising fresh concerns over the security of the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said on Wednesday that it had targeted 20 US-linked vessels attempting to navigate the strategic waterway, which has been at the centre of the six-month-old confrontation.
The Guards also claimed responsibility for a missile attack on the Al-Azraq US air base in Jordan, saying the operation was retaliation for the destruction of five Iranian oil tankers by American forces a day earlier.
Iranian state media reported that the attack damaged facilities used for aircraft maintenance and repair, deployment areas and fighter-jet shelters.
Jordan’s military, however, said its forces intercepted 18 missiles launched from Iran towards the kingdom.
The latest escalation followed warnings from Tehran that oil tankers operating near US allies Kuwait and Bahrain could also come under attack.
The Revolutionary Guards reportedly ordered crews aboard vessels in the area to leave, warning that the ships would be targeted in response to the American strikes on Iranian tankers.
The US military said the tankers were attacked after their crews were instructed to abandon the vessels. Washington also accused Iran of attempting to strike an American warship, describing it as the second such incident in less than a week.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio defended the action, warning that further Iranian attacks on American naval forces would trigger additional strikes against Iranian tankers.
“Iran continues to try to hit US naval ships, and for every time they do that or try to do that, they’re going to lose tankers, and I think you’ll see that again today,” Rubio told reporters during a visit to Colombia on Tuesday.
Iranian officials had previously threatened to retaliate against US military installations across the region if Washington attacked its oil vessels.
The confrontation has also sent crude prices higher as traders assess the potential impact of further disruption to Middle Eastern energy supplies.
Brent crude climbed to $99.46 a barrel in Asian trading, while US West Texas Intermediate rose to $94.45.
The Strait of Hormuz remains the most critical flashpoint in the confrontation. The waterway normally handles about a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas shipments but has seen maritime traffic almost completely paralysed since the war began in February.
Iran has claimed control over passage through the strait, with vessels reportedly required to obtain permission and pay transit fees before crossing.
The Guards also said on Tuesday that they had seized what they described as one of the most advanced unmanned American submarine drones in the waterway.
The US military acknowledged the incident but said the underwater drone had malfunctioned and was an older model that did not contain sensitive information.
Iranian state television further reported that its forces had fired ballistic missiles at two US destroyers. The US military had not immediately responded to that claim.
The latest exchanges mark another sharp escalation in the confrontation, with the competing attacks threatening to widen the conflict and deepen disruption along one of the world’s most important energy routes.
