Iran launched ballistic missiles toward a base used by American forces in Jordan and claimed attacks on U.S. warships and commercial tankers near the Strait of Hormuz as escalating strikes drove oil above $100 a barrel.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom.
Iran dramatically widened its confrontation with the United States on Wednesday, firing ballistic missiles toward a base used by American forces in Jordan while claiming attacks on U.S. Navy destroyers and oil tankers around the Strait of Hormuz.
Jordanian air defenses intercepted 18 of 20 ballistic missiles launched from Iran, while the remaining two fell in unpopulated areas and caused no casualties, according to Jordan’s military. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said the target was a base used by U.S. forces near Al Azraq in eastern Jordan and claimed the strike caused heavy damage. U.S. and Jordanian officials disputed that assessment.
“Iran’s response was ineffective in face of integrated air and missile defenses. Iran fired missiles toward Jordan. American forces have 100% accountability at all locations in Jordan,” a U.S. official said.
At sea, the IRGC said it attacked 10 vessels, including two American warships and eight oil tankers, attempting to move through what Iran described as a “prohibited and unsafe” area around the Strait of Hormuz.
U.S. Central Command flatly rejected Iran’s assertion that American destroyers had been hit.
“This is completely FALSE,” CENTCOM said in a post on X.
“No U.S. Navy warship has been struck; all IRGC attempted attacks failed,” the command said.
CENTCOM added Wednesday that American forces had destroyed 10 Iranian tankers during the previous week, describing them as components of a multibillion-dollar network used to finance the IRGC. “Iran cannot defend them,” the command said.
The latest exchange followed U.S. strikes Tuesday that destroyed five Iranian crude-oil tankers after the IRGC twice attempted to hit a U.S. Navy warship with ballistic missiles during the preceding two days. CENTCOM said the American ship successfully evaded the attacks and no U.S. personnel were injured.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned Tuesday that continued Iranian attempts to strike American naval vessels would bring further tanker losses.
“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,” Rubio told reporters during a visit to Colombia.
Iran also claimed Wednesday that it had captured an unmanned U.S. underwater vehicle near the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian state media identified it as a Dive-LD, a roughly 19-foot autonomous submarine drone manufactured by California defense company Anduril.
A Pentagon spokesperson said the vehicle had been conducting survey operations when it “malfunctioned more than a day ago.”
“The defective drone was an older model that neither collected sensitive data nor carried any classified sonar or radar equipment,” the spokesperson said.
Anduril confirmed the loss while saying its autonomous systems are built to operate in hazardous environments where losing an individual vehicle is an “expected possibility.” The Dive-LD can be used for missions including seabed mapping, intelligence gathering and inspection of underwater infrastructure.
The escalation at the Strait coincided with another rapidly worsening conflict in Yemen.
Iran-backed Houthi forces said Saudi-backed forces carried out 32 airstrikes overnight across Taiz, Hodeida, Jawf and Marib. Saudi Arabia had not publicly confirmed the strikes, although a Pakistani source told Reuters that Riyadh conducted retaliatory attacks after the Houthis struck four Saudi cities Tuesday.
Saudi authorities said 73 people were wounded in the Houthi attacks, which ignited large fires at oil installations. At the same time, the Saudi-backed government in southern Yemen launched a multipronged offensive into Houthi-controlled areas as the Houthis threatened Saudi shipping in the Red Sea.
The renewed combat has shattered a roughly four-year truce in Yemen and added another threat to regional shipping and energy infrastructure.
Markets reacted quickly to the widening hostilities.
Brent crude rose above $100 a barrel Wednesday for the first time in nearly six weeks, while the U.S. benchmark climbed above $95. The Strait of Hormuz carried roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil supply before the current conflict and has already experienced severe reductions in commercial traffic.
Higher crude prices can eventually reach consumers through gasoline, diesel and jet fuel while increasing transportation and manufacturing costs throughout the economy.
Wednesday’s attacks mark the latest stage of an accelerating cycle in which Iranian attempts to strike American naval forces have been followed by U.S. attacks on Iranian oil shipping, while Tehran has increasingly targeted maritime traffic and U.S.-linked military facilities in response.
The Jordan strike showed the conflict expanding beyond the waters surrounding Iran even as the Strait of Hormuz remains its central flashpoint. Iran says further U.S. attacks will draw substantially larger retaliation, while Washington has made clear that additional attempts against American warships will be met with further strikes on Iran’s oil-shipping network.
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