US destroys five Iranian oil tankers; Iran fires missiles at US targets in Jordan
The US military said it destroyed five Iranian oil tankers on Tuesday (September 8, 2026) in response to recent attacks on its warships. In a swift retaliatory move, Iran launched missiles toward American targets in Jordan, according to Iranian state-run media.
Jordan's military said its air defence systems intercepted 18 ballistic missiles launched toward its territory, while two others fell in uninhabited areas. It reported no casualties. Jordan is a staunch US ally and hosts American forces, making its military bases a repeated target of Iranian strikes.
The latest exchange is part of a dual economic and military approach by President Donald Trump's administration as it struggles to end the ongoing war. On the same day, the US imposed fresh sanctions on more than two dozen Iranian commercial and private airlines, as well as foreign cargo service providers, in a bid to further isolate Tehran from its remaining trading partners.
At the heart of the conflict is the Strait of Hormuz, through which about one-fifth of the world's oil passed before the war began. Rising energy prices are creating political problems for Mr. Trump and his Republican Party ahead of the November midterm elections. International benchmark Brent crude briefly climbed to $99.46 a barrel on Tuesday.
The US military also destroyed three Iranian oil tankers on Saturday (September 5, 2026) after Iran's Revolutionary Guards attempted to attack a US aircraft carrier and destroyer with ballistic missiles. The US warned it would, if necessary, destroy Iran's limited and exposed oil fleet. Iran later said it planned to announce a new exclusion zone near the Strait of Hormuz aimed at vessels intending to transit.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington would not allow Iran's attacks to go unanswered. “Iran continues to try to hit US naval ships. And for every time they do that or try to do that, they're going to lose tankers. And I think you'll see that again today,” he told reporters while in Colombia.
Analysts caution that such back-and-forth strikes risk further escalation and deeper global economic fallout. Danny Citrinowicz, an Iran expert at Israel's Institute for National Security Studies, wrote on social media: “There is no kinetic solution to the Strait of Hormuz problem. Every attempt to impose one only brings Washington and Tehran closer to an escalation that may become increasingly difficult to control.”
US Central Command said the military struck the tankers on Tuesday after the Revolutionary Guards targeted a Navy warship with ballistic missiles twice over the past two days. “The US warship successfully evaded the attempted Iranian attacks and continued to patrol regional waters. No American personnel were harmed,” it said in a statement.
The destroyed tankers were identified as Kivik, Charminar, Horizon 1 and Riesco in the Gulf of Oman, and the vessel Derya near Kharg Island in the Strait of Hormuz. Crews of the five vessels were told to abandon ship before the attacks. Iranian state television also reported the strikes, saying the tankers were hit near the southern port of Jask and Kharg Island, with crews evacuated safely.
