US Strikes Iranian Tankers in Retaliation for Warship Attacks

US forces have launched a series of strikes against Iranian oil tankers in response to Tehran's targeting of an American warship. According to US Central Command, five Iranian tankers were hit in the Gulf of Oman and another near Kharg Island, a major oil terminal off Iran's Gulf coast.

The US had previously reported that its warship was targeted with ballistic missiles, but successfully evaded them. No American troops were harmed. In retaliation, Iran launched missiles at a US base in Jordan, although 18 of the 20 missiles were shot down by Jordanian air defenses.

Oil prices have risen as a result of the escalating tensions, with benchmark Brent crude up 1.5% to $99.41 a barrel and US-traded oil up 1.6% to $94.55.

Tehran has warned of further strikes on US ships in Kuwaiti and Bahraini ports, while US Secretary of State Marco Rubio described the situation as 'pretty straightforward.' He said that for every time Iran tries to hit US naval ships, they will lose tankers.