Iran and the United States unleashed their largest declared wave of attacks against commercial shipping since the war began six months ago, striking tankers around the Strait of Hormuz and sending fresh shock waves through global energy markets.
Iran claimed Wednesday that it targeted 10 ships after American forces destroyed five Iranian oil tankers.
At least one seafarer was killed aboard a tanker, while another remained missing.
The violence drove international Brent crude above $100 per barrel for the first time since July, highlighting how quickly combat around this vital maritime passage can hit consumers and economies far beyond the Middle East.
Iran also fired ballistic missiles toward a base used by American forces in eastern Jordan.
The latest operations shattered a period of relative calm that had lasted roughly a month, with both sides once again striking military, maritime, and energy assets across an increasingly dangerous regional battlespace.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps threatened a much larger response if Iranian assets are attacked again.
Guard officials said that if an enemy struck two or three Iranian targets, Tehran could answer by hitting 20, another reminder that the regime remains eager to substitute reckless escalation for sound judgment.
Iran said it would soon publish maps establishing a substantially larger off limits maritime zone.
The proposed restricted area would reach toward the Arabian Gulf off Chabahar, near Pakistan on the distant end of Iran’s coastline, potentially expanding the threat to commercial traffic.
American forces, meanwhile, released video showing five Iranian oil tankers burning before sinking. U.S. Central Command said the operation answered two Iranian ballistic missile attacks against a U.S. Navy warship during the previous two days, though no American personnel were injured.
Washington has adopted a clear retaliatory policy of destroying Iranian tankers whenever Tehran threatens American warships.
“Iran continues to try to hit U.S. naval ships, and for every time they do that or try to do that, they’re going to lose tankers,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said during a visit to Colombia.
Iran later claimed its forces had fired on two American ships and eight tankers.
Reports from across the region indicated that vessels were struck near several neighboring countries, broadening concerns that Tehran is deliberately turning commercial waters into a sprawling combat zone.
The oil products tanker Hercules Star was struck while anchored off Dubai, according to its charterer, Peninsula.
One crew member was killed and another was missing, while maritime security sources said a drone may have been responsible for the attack.
Britain’s maritime security agency, UKMTO, separately reported a vessel listing and possibly taking on water after being hit by a projectile. It remained unclear whether that report involved the Hercules Star or another casualty in the rapidly developing series of attacks.
Two Iraqi port officials said the New Andros, carrying 2 million barrels of fuel oil, caught fire after a drone strike in Iraqi waters.
None of the vessel’s 22 crew members were reported injured, but the incident added another burning tanker to an already ugly day at sea.
UKMTO also received reports of several merchant vessels being struck by disabling fire in the northern Gulf and Gulf of Oman, on opposite sides of the strait. Casualty figures and the possible environmental consequences could not immediately be confirmed.
Iran threatened tankers inside Kuwaiti and Bahraini ports, according to statements carried by Iranian state media.
A maritime security source also reported that a liquefied natural gas tanker suffered damage in the Emirati port of Khor Fakkan.
The Revolutionary Guard said it launched ballistic missiles at a base used by U.S. forces near Al Azraq in eastern Jordan.
Jordanian officials reported intercepting 18 of 20 missiles, while the remaining two landed in unpopulated areas without causing casualties.
A U.S. official said the Iranian attack in Jordan was ineffective and that all American troops were accounted for.
Verified video recorded in Ash Shajarah in northern Jordan showed flashes illuminating the night sky as air defenses responded.
Iran has largely strangled traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, which carried roughly one fifth of global oil supplies before the war.
Washington has answered with a blockade of Iranian ports and says American forces have guided numerous tankers through the waterway, although independent assessments remain difficult.
Preliminary tracking information showed only six ships crossing with their transponders active during the previous 24 hours.
That collapse in visible traffic demonstrates the enormous leverage created by instability at one of the world’s most important energy chokepoints.
Fighting has also intensified between Saudi Arabia and the Iran aligned Houthi movement in Yemen.
The Houthis attacked four Saudi cities Tuesday, setting massive fires at oil facilities visible from space and wounding 73 people, according to Saudi authorities.
A Saudi backed government in southern Yemen has launched a broad assault against Houthi controlled territory, while the militants have threatened Saudi shipping in the Red Sea.
Saudi Arabia reportedly answered with strikes in Yemen, as another front now threatens regional security and global energy supplies.
