The U.S. military destroyed five Iranian oil tankers on Tuesday following ballistic missile attacks on a Navy warship, marking an escalation in a more than six-month-old war. Simultaneously, Iran launched missiles at a U.S. base in Jordan, while Washington imposed new sanctions on Iran’s aviation industry to tighten economic isolation.
U.S. Destroys Five Tankers After Warship Evasion
United States Central Command announced that American forces destroyed five Iranian crude oil tankers on Tuesday. The military action followed two days of ballistic missile attacks directed at a U.S. Navy warship by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard. According to the U.S. Central Command statement, the targeted warship successfully evaded the incoming missiles and continued patrolling regional waters without any U.S. personnel suffering injuries.
The vessels destroyed on Tuesday included the Kaviz, Charminar, Horizon 1, and Riesco in the Gulf of Oman, alongside the Derya tanker located near Kharg Island. The military said that the crews of all five ships received instructions to abandon their vessels before the strikes disabled them. This latest operation brings the total number of destroyed Iranian tankers to eight over two rounds of strikes, following an earlier incident on Saturday when three vessels were destroyed after missile attacks on a U.S. aircraft carrier and destroyer.
Missile Strikes Reach Jordan and Regional Shipping Threats Escalate
Iran retaliated against the maritime destruction by launching ballistic missiles toward American targets in Jordan. Jordan’s military reported that its air defense systems intercepted 18 ballistic missiles over its territory, while two additional missiles landed in uninhabited areas with no reported casualties. The Revolutionary Guard explicitly stated that the attack on the base in al-Azraq responded directly to the U.S. strikes on the oil tankers.
Shortly after the American announcement, the Revolutionary Guard Navy issued immediate warnings to crews aboard oil tankers near ports in Kuwait and Bahrain, instructing them to leave their ships because they could become retaliation targets. Tehran also threatened to establish a maritime exclusion zone in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz. Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, warned that Washington’s economic warfare would face maritime measures.
Sanctions Expand as Global Energy Markets Feel the Shock
The maritime conflict unfolds against a backdrop of severe economic pressure. The Trump administration imposed fresh sanctions targeting more than two dozen commercial and private airlines, along with foreign cargo service providers within Iran’s aviation sector. The administration pursues a dual economic and military strategy aimed at isolating Tehran from remaining trading partners and cutting off the multibillion-dollar shadow network financing the Revolutionary Guard and its regional proxies.
Control over the Strait of Hormuz remains a central flashpoint, as roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil transited the waterway before the war began. The ongoing disruptions and naval blockades have restricted Iranian oil exports while the U.S. military escorts a limited number of transit vessels. As energy prices fluctuate, a barrel of international standard Brent crude briefly climbed as high as $99.46 on Tuesday, creating mounting political pressures ahead of the November midterm elections.
Washington and Tehran Trade Accusations Over Advanced Weapons and Seized Drones
Tensions expanded into intelligence disputes on Tuesday as well. The Revolutionary Guard claimed responsibility for seizing an unmanned U.S. military submarine at the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz during what it described as a complex intelligence and operational mission, publishing images through the Fars news agency. However, a U.S. official disputed that narrative, telling Reuters that the craft was an older, unclassified model that had malfunctioned while surveying waters over a day prior to Iran’s announcement.
U.S. officials also expressed concern to media outlets regarding reports that Tehran has deployed advanced new missiles against warships.
“There is no kinetic solution to the Strait of Hormuz problem,” he said on social media. “Every attempt to impose one only brings Washington and Tehran closer to an escalation that may become increasingly difficult to control.”
Danny Citrinowicz, Iran expert at Israel’s Institute for National Security Studies
Secretary of State Rubio Vows Unwavering Response
The United States signaled that it intends to maintain its aggressive military posture in regional waters for as long as Iranian attacks persist. Speaking on a trip to Colombia, Secretary of State Marco Rubio made the administration’s red lines explicit to reporters.
“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. And I think you’ll see that again today.”
Marco Rubio, U.S. Secretary of State
