US says it destroyed five Iranian tankers; Iran attacks base in Jordan
In Jordan, Iran fired ballistic missiles at US forces at Al-Azraq base after the United States said it had destroyed five Iranian oil tankers. According to Al Jazeera English, Jordanian air defense forces intercepted and destroyed 18 out of 20 missiles. Two more missiles fell in uninhabited areas.
US statement on strikes against tankers
US Central Command said that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps twice attempted to attack a US military ship with ballistic missiles over two days. According to CENTCOM, the ship avoided the attacks and no US military personnel were injured.
The US command said that in response it destroyed the M/T Kaviz, M/T Charminar, M/T Horizon 1 and M/T Riesco tankers in the Gulf of Oman, as well as M/T Derya near Khark Island. CENTCOM claims that before the strikes, US forces ordered the crews to leave the vessels, after which the tankers were disabled.
Iranian state broadcaster IRIB confirmed the attack near Khark Island and reported the evacuation of the crew. It also said that another tanker was hit near the southern port of Jask in the Gulf of Oman.
More current news is available on the UA.News Telegram channel Telegram.
Missile strike on Al-Azraq base
The IRGC said that several Iranian commercial vessels had come under attack and that the missile attack on Al-Azraq base was a response to US actions. The Corps also claimed that the strike destroyed hangars used by US fighter jets.
Jordan's armed forces reported no deaths or injuries. According to them, specialized teams began securing the sites where debris and shrapnel fell. The IRGC also threatened to attack oil tankers in the ports of Kuwait and Bahrain. Amid the escalation, oil prices briefly rose to $99.46 during the day.
Iranian Armed Forces Chief of Staff Ali Abdollahi had previously stated that Tehran would attack US military facilities in the region if Iranian tankers became targets of strikes.
