The US sank an Iranian tanker and Iran destroyed a Jordanian air base

According to US Central Command (CENTCOM), US forces targeted five Iranian crude oil tankers, sinking at least one of them. This action was taken after Iran twice attempted to target a US Navy warship with ballistic missiles.
These attacks have once again increased the tension between Washington and Tehran. Iran retaliated by firing missiles towards Jordan, where the US operates a key military installation, Al-Salti Air Base.
US forces said it destroyed five Iranian crude oil tankers on September 8. These included M/T Kaveez, M/T Charminar, M/T Horizon 1 and M/T Resco in the Gulf of Oman, while M/T Darya near Khark Island, Iran's main oil export hub.
"In response to Iran's recent failed attacks, CENTCOM destroyed IRGC crude oil tankers M/T Cavies, M/T Charminar, M/T Horizon 1 and M/T Resco in the Gulf of Oman, while M/T Darya near Khark Island," Centcom said. U.S. forces ordered the ships' crews to evacuate before targeting them and then disabled the ships. The U.S. military said the Iranian ships were part of a clandestine network that allegedly provided revenue for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and its regional allies.
"Iran uses these tankers as part of a multibillion-dollar covert network that provides financial support to the IRGC and its regional allies," Centcom said in a statement. "Iran has no means of defending these ships." According to St.Com, the crews of the ships were ordered to leave before the attacks. Iranian state media said the crews of the two ships were brought ashore by lifeboats.
The attacks came after Iran attempted to target a US Navy warship with ballistic missiles twice in two days. Centcom said the US ship continued patrolling the waters of the region after successfully avoiding both attacks. "No US personnel were harmed," he said. Iran responded to US attacks on tankers by targeting the Jordan-friendly Al-Salti airbase. Jordan's military said its air defense system intercepted 20 ballistic missiles, 18 of which were destroyed. According to the Jordanian armed forces, two missiles landed in uninhabited areas and no casualties were reported.
The attack has significantly widened the geographical scope of the ongoing conflict.
The shipping intelligence and tracking company Marisys said the attack on Jordan "represents a significant geographic expansion in the direct sphere of Iranian military activity and indicates an increasing risk of spillover beyond the main parties to the conflict."
Hameed Reza Azizi, senior analyst on Iran affairs at the International Crisis Group, said Iran's repeated attacks on US warships and the increase in the quality and number of missiles fired at US targets indicate a gradual escalation of tensions. Iran also claimed that it had targeted two US ships and eight oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz. Warned the crew to abandon their ships and threatened further attacks.
Iran's IRIB quoted the Revolutionary Guards as saying, "We warn the crews of all oil tankers near the ports of Kuwait and Bahrain, which host these (US) terrorists and participate in their hostile activities, to immediately leave their ships, whether they are anchored or standing in ports, because these ships will be targeted."
Iranian state media reported today that the Revolutionary Guard attacked two US ships, eight oil tankers and 10 non-compliant ships trying to pass through the Strait of Hormuz. If Iran had targeted tankers inside regional ports, rather than ships trying to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, it would be a new development in the conflict. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned during a visit to Colombia that Washington will respond to further Iranian attacks on US naval forces.
Rubio, speaking to reporters in Barranquilla, said, "Iran is constantly trying to target American ships, and every time they do it or try to do it, they will lose tankers. The exchange of attacks comes at a time when the Trump administration is increasing economic and military pressure on Tehran." U.S. forces have increased their focus on targets linked to Iran's oil exports and operations around the Strait of Hormuz, while maintaining security operations for commercial shipping and a naval blockade of Iranian ports.
The Trump administration has also announced broad sanctions on Iran's aviation sector. The measures target 27 Iranian airlines and nine service provider companies and sales agents, which are alleged to have provided services to Mahan Air. Mahan Air has been under US sanctions since 2011. Washington has accused the private airline of providing support to the IRGC.