Tensions between the United States and Iran escalated sharply on Wednesday after the US Central Command destroyed five Iranian oil tankers, while Iranian media reported that the IRGC Navy attacked 10 vessels, including two US ships, in the Persian Gulf and targeted 10 others attempting to cross the Strait of Hormuz.
Tehran also launched a barrage of missiles at a US military base in Jordan. Jordanian authorities said its air defences intercepted 18 of the 20 missiles.
The latest escalation came after Iranian state media reported on Monday that Tehran’s newly developed Qassem Basir ballistic missile signalled a shift in the country’s military doctrine, warning that Iran would act against perceived threats “even before” they were carried out.
Mohsen Rezaei, head of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, claimed that the missile had been tested against a US warship, although it remained unclear whether the weapon used in the test was the Qassem Basir.
The US said Iran had launched ballistic missiles at American warships on Saturday and that it responded by striking three Iranian oil tankers. The US Navy said its vessels successfully evaded the attacks.
Iranian media described the Qassem Basir as a significant military advancement, citing improvements in range and accuracy as well as its half-ton warhead. The missile was unveiled last year and is reportedly capable of striking targets at a range of at least 1,200 km.
The White House rejected Rezaei’s proposal for an “exclusion zone” around the Strait of Hormuz, insisting that the crucial waterway remains open and under US control. Washington said the US Navy had cleared mines from the strait and that tanker traffic bound for non-Iranian ports would increase.
The US blockade of Iranian ports remains in effect, with the American military saying 94 commercial vessels had been redirected and three disabled. Tehran has instructed ships to use a designated route through the strait, while international shipping traffic in the region has dropped sharply.
The latest escalation follows an attack a week earlier on a Saudi-owned tanker that killed two crew members and left seven others missing.
