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Iran claims to have attacked ten vessels near the Strait of Hormuz after the sinking of five of its oil tankers by the United States. The incident represents the largest escalation of reprisals against commercial shipping since the conflict began six months ago.
The offensive in this key artery sent oil prices soaring, with Brent crude surpassing $100 per barrel for the first time since July.
Concurrently, the average price of consumer diesel in the U.S. - a politically sensitive indicator - set a historical record by exceeding $5.94 per gallon.
Iran also claimed to have fired ballistic missiles at a base used by U.S. forces in Jordan. Attacks from both sides - since late August - have broken a month of relative calm, with Washington and Tehran targeting military, naval, and energy objectives.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps declared that it would drastically intensify its response to any future attack, warning that if the enemy strikes two or three Iranian targets, Iran will respond by attacking twenty.
Furthermore, the Iranian military body indicated that it would soon publish maps of a new, much broader maritime exclusion zone, which will extend to the Sea of Oman off Chabahar, at the end of the Iranian coast near Pakistan.
In recent days, there has also been an escalation in fighting between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis in Yemen, a second war front that threatens global energy supply from the Middle East.
Washington announced a new policy of attacking Iranian oil tankers in retaliation for fires threatening its warships, and for the first time declared having hit three oil tankers on Saturday. Iran, for its part, maintains that it is using new and more capable missiles to attack American vessels.
"Iran continues to try to hit U.S. Navy ships and every time they do or try to do so, they are going to lose oil tankers," U.S. Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, told the press during a visit to Colombia.
For its part, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) declared that it responded with a ballistic missile attack against a base used by U.S. forces near Al Azraq, in eastern Jordan, in addition to having fired at two American vessels and eight oil tankers attempting to cross an area of the Strait of Hormuz declared by the regime as an exclusion zone.
The UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) reported receiving information about several merchant vessels hit by disabling fire in the northern Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, on both sides of the strait. The entity could not immediately confirm if there were casualties or the level of environmental impact.
UKMTO reported that a vessel was listing, possibly indicating that water had entered after being hit by a projectile off Port Rashid, in the United Arab Emirates.
Two Iraqi port officials indicated that an oil tanker with a cargo of 2 million barrels of fuel oil, the New Andros, caught fire after being hit by a drone in Iraqi waters. No casualties were reported among the 22 crew members.
Iran also threatened oil tankers in port facilities in Kuwait and Bahrain, according to a statement released by state media. A maritime security source reported that an LNG tanker was damaged in the Emirati port of Khor Fakkan.
Iran has largely blocked transit through the strait, through which a fifth of the world's oil flowed before the war.
Washington responded with a naval blockade of Iranian ports and claims to have successfully guided numerous oil tankers through the strait, although independent observers note that it is increasingly difficult to assess the actual volume of oil that manages to exit. Preliminary data showed that only six vessels crossed with transponders on in the last 24 hours.
Iran maintained that its missiles fired at Jordan caused serious damage. Jordan, for its part, declared that its air defenses intercepted 18 of the 20 Iranian missiles, while two fell in unpopulated areas without causing casualties. A U.S. official stated that Iran's attacks in Jordan were ineffective and that all U.S. military personnel are accounted for and safe.
A video recorded in Ash-Shajarah, northern Jordan, and verified by Reuters, shows flashes illuminating the night sky. Iran has attacked U.S. bases in the region throughout the war and killed at least two U.S. military personnel in an attack on Jordan in July.