US sinks five Iranian oil tankers after Tehran launches fresh missile attacks

The targeted vessel avoided the incoming fire and no US personnel were injured, Centcom said.

"In response to Iran’s most recent failed attacks, Centcom destroyed the IRGC [Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps] crude oil carriers," the command said as it shared extraordinary footage of the sinkings.

"American forces directed the crews to abandon ship before the vessels were struck and rendered inoperable."

Centcom described the destroyed tankers as "part of a multibillion-dollar shadow network" used by Tehran to circumvent Western oil sanctions.

The escalation began on Saturday when the US destroyed three Iranian tankers after the IRGC fired ballistic missiles at two American warships.

"Let the message to the IRGC be clear: If you shoot at two of our ships, we will impose an even higher economic cost taking out three of yours," said Adm Brad Cooper, the Centcom commander, at the time.

"We will not hesitate to defend American forces, and if necessary, destroy Iran’s limited and exposed oil fleet."

Iran disregarded the warning and launched further attacks on Monday.

Explosions were reported near Kharg Island on Tuesday, a crucial hub for Iran’s oil exports that Donald Trump had reportedly considered as a potential invasion site.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio had earlier signalled that further action was imminent.

"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 on a trip to Colombia - shortly before they lost their tankers.

Then, in the early hours of Wednesday morning, Iran launched a missile attack against a US military base in Jordan.

The IRGC said it "struck the American Al-Azraq base in Jordan with heavy missile strikes" in a "punitive operation".

Jordan’s air defences intercepted 18 of the 20 ballistic missiles fired from Iranian territory, the country’s state news agency reported, citing its armed forces.

The two remaining missiles are thought to have landed in uninhabited areas.

No casualties were recorded from the attack.

The strike on the Al-Azraq base marked a significant escalation, with Tehran directly targeting a US installation on allied soil for the first time in this fresh round of hostilities.

Tehran may now be deploying more sophisticated weaponry, including missiles fitted with electro-optical seekers capable of manoeuvring towards targets, accroding to The Wall Street Journal.

US officials are thought to be concerned that Russia or China may be helping Iran track the positions of American warships.