Iran launched fresh attacks on US targets in the Middle East on Wednesday in retaliation for American strikes on Iranian oil tankers, deepening the confrontation between the two countries and raising fears of a wider regional conflict.
Iran’s powerful Revolutionary Guards said they had attacked 20 US vessels attempting to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical waterway for global oil and gas supplies that Tehran has effectively controlled since the conflict began.
The United States and Iran remain locked in a stalemate six months into the war, with Tehran maintaining its grip on the Strait of Hormuz while Washington intensifies efforts to cripple Iran’s ports and economy.
The Guards also said they had struck a US military base in Jordan with missiles in response to American forces destroying five Iranian oil tankers a day earlier.
The US military said the tanker strikes came after Iran targeted an American warship, marking the second such incident in less than a week.
Oil prices rose towards $100 a barrel in Asian trading on Wednesday as the latest escalation threatened to further disrupt supplies from the oil-rich Middle East.
Brent crude, the international benchmark, climbed to $99.46 a barrel, while US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) stood at $94.45.
Iran also threatened to target oil tankers off the coast of US allies Kuwait and Bahrain in retaliation for the attacks on its vessels.
Shortly afterwards, the Revolutionary Guards said they had launched missiles at the US air base at Al-Azraq in Jordan, according to Iranian state media.
The state-run IRNA news agency said the “punitive operation” damaged maintenance and repair facilities, deployment areas and shelters for fighter aircraft.
Jordan’s military said it intercepted 18 missiles launched from Iran towards the kingdom.
The latest attacks followed a warning from the Revolutionary Guards that oil tankers operating off Kuwait and Bahrain would be targeted. The Guards urged crews to leave the vessels, according to a statement carried by IRNA.
US warning
The latest escalation followed the destruction of five Iranian oil tankers by US forces. The US military said it had ordered the crews to abandon the vessels before carrying out the strikes.
“Iran continues to try to hit US naval ships, and for every time they do that or try to do that, they’re going to lose tankers, and I think you’ll see that again today,” US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters on Tuesday during a visit to Colombia.
Iranian media reported that a US missile struck a tanker off Kharg Island on Tuesday, although no casualties were reported.
Iran’s army chief of staff, Ali Abdollahi, had previously warned that Tehran would target US military bases across the region if Iranian oil tankers were attacked.
Iran has maintained control over the Strait of Hormuz since the war began in February. The waterway normally carries about one-fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas supplies, but shipping through the strait has been severely disrupted.
Tehran has required vessels seeking to pass through the waterway to obtain permission and pay transit fees.
The Revolutionary Guards also said on Tuesday that they had seized what they described as one of the most advanced unmanned US submarine drones in the Strait of Hormuz.
The US military said the drone had malfunctioned and described it as an older model that did not contain sensitive information.
Iranian state television also reported that the Guards had attacked two US destroyers with ballistic missiles. The US military had not immediately commented on the claim.
The latest exchange of strikes has intensified concerns that the conflict could further disrupt energy supplies and draw additional countries into the confrontation.
AFP
