Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced in the early hours of Wednesday that it had launched missiles at a US military base in Jordan and around 20 vessels in the Gulf, in retaliation for US strikes on Iranian oil tankers.
The IRGC said the attack on Jordan, carried out to “punish the aggressor”, damaged maintenance and repair facilities, preparation and deployment areas for F-35, F-15 and F-16 aircraft, as well as fighter aircraft hangars at the US Al Azraq military base, according to Iran’s official IRNA news agency.
Jordan’s armed forces said 20 missiles had been launched towards the kingdom. Eighteen were intercepted, while the remaining two fell in uninhabited areas.
The IRGC also said it had attacked two US Navy vessels, eight oil tankers and 10 other vessels in the Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian state media described the attacks as retaliation for what it called hostile actions by the US military against five Iranian oil tankers.
Oil prices approach $100
The US military said on Tuesday that it had destroyed five oil tankers in retaliation for attacks by the IRGC on a US warship over the previous two days.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, speaking during a visit to Colombia, said Iran continued to try to target US warships and warned that further attempts would result in additional oil tankers being lost.
Iranian news agency Tasnim reported that a “small” Iranian tanker had been hit by a US missile near Iran’s Kharg Island, without reporting any casualties.
The IRGC subsequently confirmed that five Iranian tankers had come under attack.
Against this backdrop, oil prices continued to rise on Wednesday. Brent crude for November delivery approached $100 a barrel in early Asian trading.
Iranian Armed Forces chief of staff General Ali Abdollahi warned on Tuesday that any attack on Iranian oil tankers would lead to Iranian strikes against US bases in the region.
Iran claims capture of underwater drone
The IRGC also said on Tuesday that it had seized what it described as one of the US military’s most advanced unmanned underwater vehicles at the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz.
The US military said an unmanned underwater vehicle had suffered a malfunction in the area, describing it as an older model, but did not clarify whether it was the same vehicle reportedly seized by Iran.
Iranian state television also reported attacks on two US destroyers using ballistic missiles.
Tensions remain high in Strait of Hormuz
Tehran and Washington continue to exchange fire around and in the Strait of Hormuz after a ceasefire that ended the first phase of intensive bombardments and counterattacks in April broke down in July.
Diplomatic negotiations have effectively stalled, with the two sides remaining at odds over control of the strategic waterway, through which around one-fifth of global oil and gas exports normally pass.
Since the outbreak of the war, maritime traffic through the strait has been almost paralysed, creating serious problems for international energy markets and pushing crude oil prices sharply higher.
Iran demands that vessels obtain its permission to pass through the strait, a requirement rejected by the US and regional states.
The US administration has also imposed a blockade on Iranian ports in the Gulf in retaliation and on Tuesday added Iran’s entire aviation sector to its sanctions blacklist, threatening sanctions against anyone cooperating with Iranian airlines, including the two main carriers, Mahan Air and Iran Air.
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