US-Iran strikes widen across Gulf shipping and Jordan
The reported exchange of attacks involving oil tankers, naval vessels and a US base has pushed oil prices closer to $100 a barrel, though wider supply disruption remains unconfirmed.
US forces struck five Iranian oil tankers after Iran twice targeted an American warship, according to US Central Command. Centcom said the vessels were linked to an IRGC-funded “shadow network” and that the M/T Riesco sank in the Gulf of Oman.
The strikes included four tankers in the Gulf of Oman and another near Kharg Island, Iran’s main oil-export terminal. The source material says about 90 per cent of Iran’s crude passes through the island, but does not independently establish the vessels’ affiliations or the damage reported by Centcom.
Iran then launched missiles towards a US base in Jordan. Jordanian authorities said 18 of the 20 missiles were intercepted, while two fell in unpopulated areas. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards subsequently claimed attacks on two US vessels, eight oil tankers and 10 other vessels in the Strait of Hormuz. Those claims have not been independently verified.
The escalation has affected energy markets, with Brent crude rising 1.5 per cent to $99.35 a barrel and US-traded oil increasing 1.3 per cent to $94.23. The movements reflect market concern over regional risks, rather than independently confirmed disruption to oil supplies.
The confrontation follows wider instability in the region, including reported Houthi attacks on Saudi energy facilities. Centcom also said an uncrewed US submarine seized by Iran had malfunctioned, was an older model and carried no sensitive or classified equipment. BBC World reported that US operations in regional waters were continuing.
