US Destroys Five Iranian Tankers; Iran Strikes Jordan, Oil Surges

Jordan's military intercepted 18 Iranian missiles on Wednesday, reporting no casualties. Iran's state-run media said Tehran targeted U.S. assets in the region in retaliation for American attacks on its oil tankers.

The U.S. military's Central Command (CENTCOM) stated Tuesday night it destroyed five Iranian oil tankers in response to recent attempts to attack U.S. warships with ballistic missiles. The destroyed tankers included the M/T Kaviz, M/T Charminar, M/T Horizon 1, and M/T Riesco in the Gulf of Oman, and the M/T Derya near Kharg Island. CENTCOM said American forces directed crews to abandon ship before the vessels were struck and rendered inoperable, adding no American personnel were harmed.

CENTCOM also stated that U.S. forces destroyed 10 Iranian tankers in the past week, describing them as part of a multibillion-dollar shadow network funding the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The IRGC claimed it attacked 10 ships near the Strait of Hormuz, including two U.S. vessels and eight oil tankers, and targeted a U.S. base in Jordan.

CENTCOM denied the IRGC's claims, stating no U.S. Navy warship has been struck and all IRGC attempted attacks failed. An oil tanker leased by the Iraqi Oil Tankers Company was hit by an unknown source in Iraqi territorial waters on Wednesday, resulting in minor material damage but no casualties or oil leak. The price of Brent crude, the international benchmark for oil, hit $100 per barrel Wednesday morning, its highest level since late July.

The IRGC spokesman Brig. Gen. Hossein Mohebi outlined conditions for ending the war, including the withdrawal of the army of the Zionist regime from Lebanon, an end to the blockade of Yemen, and the release of $24 billion of Iran's frozen assets.