US destroys five Iranian tankers as Iran fires missiles at American base in Jordan

A new round of direct attacks

United States forces destroyed five Iranian oil tankers on September 8 after Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps twice launched ballistic missiles toward a US Navy warship, according to reports published by Euronews and Al Jazeera on September 9. Iran then fired missiles at US forces stationed at Al Azraq airbase in Jordan. The exchange constitutes a newly confirmed round of direct attacks, distinct from the three-tanker strike already reported on September 5.

Four of the Iranian vessels were attacked in the Gulf of Oman and the fifth near Kharg Island, the centre of Iran's oil-export infrastructure. US Central Command said the crews had been instructed to abandon the tankers before they were rendered inoperable. The five vessels were identified as Kaviz, Charminar, Horizon 1, Riesco and Derya. The US military said the Navy ship targeted by Iran evaded the incoming missiles and that no American personnel were injured.

Jordan intercepts the retaliation

Jordan's armed forces said its air defences engaged 20 ballistic missiles heading toward its territory, destroying 18 while two fell in unpopulated areas. Jordan reported no casualties. Iran said the intended target was the base at Al Azraq used by US forces, although its claims that aircraft hangars were destroyed were not independently verified. Claims of further Iranian attacks on American warships and regional tankers also remained unconfirmed at the time of publication.

The attacks matter beyond the immediate military damage because they join naval warfare, pressure on Iran's export earnings and threats to a critical energy corridor. The Strait of Hormuz carried roughly one-fifth of global oil shipments before the current war. A prolonged campaign against tankers or naval patrols could further restrict traffic, increase insurance and freight costs, and place US partners hosting American forces at greater risk.

Escalation without a diplomatic circuit-breaker

The Pentagon's April account of Operation Epic Fury confirms that the current US campaign against Iran began on February 28 and has included attacks on Iranian naval and military infrastructure. The State Department separately continues to warn of missile and drone risks in Jordan arising from the US-Iran conflict. Those official records establish the wider military setting, while the two current media reports document the new tanker and Al Azraq attacks.

The immediate questions are whether Iran will continue striking US installations in neighbouring states, whether Washington will maintain its tanker-for-attack retaliation pattern, and whether commercial traffic through Hormuz will fall further. Statements threatening attacks on additional vessels should be treated as warnings, not completed actions. The confirmed development is narrower but serious: both governments carried out fresh strikes, extending direct hostilities into Jordanian airspace and the Gulf of Oman.