Iran and U.S. exchange record wave of tanker attacks amid Hormuz showdown

In the latest escalation of the six-month conflict, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard reported ten attacks on vessels near the Strait of Hormuz, citing retaliation for U.S. strikes that set five Iranian oil tankers ablaze. The U.S. Central Command released footage of the burning ships and said the actions were a response to earlier Iranian missile attempts on a U.S. warship. Among the casualties, a seafarer died and another went missing from the tanker Hercules Star anchored off Dubai, with other merchant ships suffering fires and projectile hits in the Gulf and Oman.

Iran also claimed to have fired ballistic missiles at a U.S.-used base in eastern Jordan, though Jordan said most missiles were intercepted. The tit-for-tat fighting drove Brent crude futures past $100 a barrel for the first time since July and revived worries about disruptions to the vital Hormuz oil route. Parallel fighting between Saudi Arabia and Houthi forces in Yemen adds further uncertainty to regional energy markets.