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Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said Wednesday that its naval forces had attacked two U.S. vessels and eight tankers in the Strait of Hormuz in response to earlier U.S. attacks.
IRGC's aerospace force also claimed it launched ballistic missiles at a U.S. base in Jordan, targeting facilities and shelters for F-35, F-16 and F-15 jets.
In statements carried out by Iranian media, the IRGC said the two U.S. vessels and eight tankers sustained heavy damage in the attacks.
It also reported that 10 other ships had been struck after attempting to pass through a "prohibited and unsafe" area of the Strait of Hormuz with the encouragement and support of the U.S. military.
For the missile attacks on Jordan, the IRGC's aerospace force stated that it had targeted the Al-Azraq U.S. base, causing "heavy damage" to maintenance and preparation hangars.
Jordan's military gave a different account of the attack, saying its air defense systems had intercepted and destroyed 18 ballistic missiles launched from Iran.
A military spokesperson said 20 ballistic missiles had targeted Jordanian territory, with 18 intercepted and destroyed and two landing in open areas away from populated locations, according to Jordan's official Petra news agency.
No casualties were reported. Specialized teams were working to secure areas where missile debris and shrapnel had fallen. The military urged citizens not to approach or touch suspicious objects and to immediately notify authorities.
Jordan's armed forces said they remained on the highest state of alert, with radar, early-warning, and air defense systems operating to protect the country's security and sovereignty over its airspace.
However, Iran's Tasnim News Agency disputed Jordan's account, saying that "various videos" documented Iranian missiles hitting U.S. bases and accusing the Jordanian military of denying both casualties and damage from the attacks.
The developments followed U.S. attacks on five Iranian crude oil carriers after the IRGC targeted a U.S. Navy warship with ballistic missiles twice over the previous two days. The U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said the warship had "successfully evaded the attempted Iranian attacks" and continued to patrol regional waters. "No American personnel were harmed," it said.
CENTCOM also added that the Iranian tanker M/T Riesco had sunk in the Gulf of Oman after being destroyed by U.S. forces in response to the attempted IRGC attacks. The command released footage showing the vessel sinking and said it had been destroyed on Sept. 8.
CENTCOM described the tankers as part of a "multibillion-dollar shadow network" that funds the IRGC and its regional proxies, adding that Iran had "no means by which to defend these vessels."
The strikes followed an earlier U.S. operation on Sept. 5, when CENTCOM said its forces destroyed three Iranian crude oil tankers after the IRGC attempted to attack a U.S. aircraft carrier and a guided-missile destroyer.
The developments come amid heightened tensions between Iran and the United States over the Strait of Hormuz, despite a memorandum signed in June that envisioned an agreement to reopen the strategic waterway as part of a broader peace deal.
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