US Destroys Five Iranian Oil Tankers as Tehran Launches Retaliatory Missiles

The United States destroyed five Iranian oil tankers, and Iran responded by launching missiles at a US base in Jordan while threatening tankers near Kuwait and Bahrain. The exchanges marked a direct escalation described by both sides as retaliation.

US Central Command said crews were ordered to leave the Iranian vessels before the ships were attacked and disabled. It said the operation caused no loss of life and was carried out in response to Iran's recent unsuccessful attacks. Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned that Washington would continue targeting Iranian oil tankers if Tehran kept trying to attack US warships.

"Iran continues to try to attack US naval vessels. Every time they do so or try to do so, they will lose oil tankers," Rubio said, describing the US approach as a policy of retaliation in kind.

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Iran continues to try to attack US naval vessels. Every time they do so or try to do so, they will lose oil tankers.

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it had continued using ballistic missiles against two US destroyers. It also warned oil tankers at Kuwait and Bahrain's ports, whether anchored offshore or docked, to leave their vessels. The IRGC accused the two countries of sheltering terrorists and assisting their actions, and said the tankers would become targets.

The IRGC later said it had launched a heavy missile attack on the US Al-Azraq base in Jordan as a retaliatory operation. Jordan's state news agency, citing the country's military, reported that air defenses destroyed 18 of the 20 ballistic missiles fired from Iran. The remaining two landed in uninhabited areas and caused no casualties. Jordanian forces said they were continuing to monitor and assess the situation.

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We warn all oil tankers at the ports of Kuwait and Bahrain, countries that shelter terrorists and are complicit in their actions, whether anchored offshore or docked, to leave their vessels because they will become targets.