Iran fires missiles at US bases as Washington strikes tankers in new escalation
Illustrative photo: US-Iran war (GettyImages)
Iran launched new strikes against US facilities and ships after the US announced it had destroyed five Iranian oil tankers, according to Reuters and US Central Command (CENTCOM).
Iran strikes US base
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps states that on the night of September 8–9, Iran launched ballistic missiles at a base in Jordan used by US military forces. At the same time, Tehran reports an attack on 10 ships in the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran's statements came after the US reported the destruction of five Iranian oil tankers. Washington linked these strikes to the actions of the IRGC, which, according to the US, had attempted twice in recent days to attack a US Navy ship with ballistic missiles.
US explained strikes on tankers
US Central Command states that the American warship was able to evade the attacks and continued patrolling the region. According to the US side, no service members were injured.
In response to Iran's actions, the US launched strikes against five oil tankers. Following this, the IRGC announced a missile attack on a base near Al Azraq in Jordan and new strikes against ships.
Marco Rubio issues statement
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that Washington intended to continue responding to Iran's attempts to attack American ships.
Rubio says Iran continues to try to attack US Navy ships, but every time they try to do so, they will lose their tankers.
The new round of retaliatory strikes marked a sharp escalation of the conflict, which has been ongoing for six months. After a month of relative calm, hostilities intensified again and targeted military facilities, a ship, and energy infrastructure.
On September 5, the US military struck three Iranian oil tankers, stating that this was in response to the IRGC's launch of ballistic missiles at two US Navy ships. The US side reported that the naval vessels sustained no damage and that no service members were injured.
