US strikes Iranian oil tankers as Tehran targets American base in Jordan

What the report says

Oil prices moved toward $100 a barrel after the latest escalation in U.S.-Iran hostilities, according to BBC World News. The report said the U.S. struck five Iranian tankers in the Gulf of Oman and near Kharg Island after Tehran had targeted a U.S. warship and, separately, a base in Jordan.

Iran then replied with missile attacks on the U.S. base in Jordan, most of which were intercepted, while Jordan said 18 of 20 missiles were shot down and the rest landed in unpopulated areas. The BBC also reported that Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said they had attacked two U.S. vessels and several oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz, though the article framed these claims as part of the broader exchange of strikes and counterstrikes.

The U.S. described the tankers it hit as part of a network supporting Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, while Iranian officials and state media portrayed their own actions as retaliation. The report said one vessel struck by the U.S. later sank, and noted that Kharg Island is a major outlet for Iranian crude exports. The renewed violence comes amid wider regional instability, including reported Houthi attacks in Saudi Arabia, and raises the risk of further disruption to Middle East energy flows and global oil prices.