Iran attacks US base in Jordan, ships near Hormuz after tankers sunk
Iran's Revolutionary Guard said it fired ballistic missiles at a base in Jordan used by the U.S. military and attacked 10 ships on Wednesday, after the U.S. said it had destroyed five Iranian oil tankers, in a sharp escalation of the six-month-old war, Reuters reported.
Increased attacks by both the U.S. and Iran have shattered a month of relative calm, hitting military, shipping and energy assets, sending oil prices surging and drawing in regional allies in recent days.
The Americans said they destroyed five Iranian oil tankers on Tuesday. The U.S. military's Central Command posted video of the strikes, which it called a response to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) targeting a U.S. Navy warship twice with ballistic missiles over the previous two days. No Americans were harmed, the U.S. said.
"Iran continues to try to hit U.S. naval ships, and for every time they do that or try to do that, they're going to lose tankers," U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters during a visit to Colombia.
Iran then carried out a ballistic missile attack on a base used by U.S. forces near Al Azraq in Jordan, according to an IRGC statement on state media.
Iran says it captured US submarine drone in Strait of Hormuz
Iran's Revolutionary Guards said on Tuesday it had captured a U.S. uncrewed submarine at the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz, offering a rare glimpse into how underwater drones are being used in military operations.
Iranian state media said the vessel was a Dive-LD, a large autonomous underwater vehicle built by California defense firm Anduril. The 19-foot (5.8-metre) submersible can carry out missions including mine countermeasures, seabed mapping, intelligence gathering and the inspection of underwater infrastructure such as cables and pipelines, the company has said.
Iran retaliates against US allies after its oil tankers destroyed
The Middle East war intensified on Tuesday with Yemen's Houthis in Yemen launching strikes on several Saudi cities, further embroiling a U.S. ally in the conflict, while U.S. forces hit multiple Iranian oil tankers and Iran targeted a U.S. base in Jordan.
The Houthis attacked four cities in the south of Saudi Arabia, wounding 73 people and setting oil installations ablaze in what appeared to be a major expansion of the six-month-old war.
"Iran continues to try to hit U.S. naval ships, and for every time they do that or try to do that, they're going to lose tankers," U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters during a visit to Colombia.
Iran then retaliated with a ballistic missile attack on a U.S. base near Al Azraq in Jordan, according to an IRGC statement carried on state media. Iranian state media published video of what it said were Iranian missiles launched at Jordan.
Although Iran said its missiles inflicted heavy damage, Jordan said its air defences intercepted 18 of the 20 Iranian missiles, with two falling in unpopulated areas, and that there were no casualties.
Oil nears $100 as fresh Middle East strikes raise supply risks
Oil prices rose for the fourth straight session, gaining more than $1 in early trade on Wednesday after renewed attacks across the Middle East heightened worries about supply disruptions.
Brent crude futures rose 1.4%, to $99.33 a barrel by 0212 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude was at $94.34 a barrel, up 1.4%.
Iran FM strongly criticizes new US sanctions
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi has strongly criticized the new sanctions imposed by the United States on Iran.
In a statement on social media, Araqchi said that after 47 years of sanctions, the US had waged war against Iran on behalf of Israel, with devastating consequences for Washington, particularly in terms of its reputation on the global stage.
According to Araqchi, Washington’s new solution after failing to achieve its goals through sanctions and war is to impose more sanctions.
He criticized the US policy, saying that the latest sanctions demonstrated Washington’s continued reliance on the same approach despite its failure to achieve its objectives.
US Treasury ratchets up pressure on Iran with sweeping new aviation sanctions
The United States on Tuesday issued 36 Iran-related sanctions targeting the country's aviation sector and other companies as part of a broad ?push to escalate economic pressure on Tehran as the war in the Middle East has moved into a seventh month.
The U.S. Treasury Department said the action was aimed at grounding Iran's Mahan Air, which was already sanctioned by the U.S. and the European Union, and expanding sanctions to all other Iranian airlines.
The sanctions also took aim at covert front companies, cargo handlers, foreign intermediaries and deceptive trans-shipment routes that Washington says Iran relies on to obtain U.S.-origin aircraft and sensitive technology.
US military underwater drone malfunctioned in Middle East, says official
A US military drone malfunctioned in the Middle East while it was surveying regional waters in support of the Iran war, a US official told Reuters on Tuesday.
The official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the defective drone was an older model and was not carrying any classified sonar or radar equipment.
It malfunctioned more than a day ago, the official added.
Iran says shot down US MQ1 drone
Iran's IRGC said that in another statement carried by state TV that they thwarted a drone attack on Tuesday.
"An advanced MQ1 drone was intercepted and destroyed by the IRGC's new advanced defence system, under the control of the country's integrated air defence network, over the Strait of Hormuz," it said, without saying who was behind the attack.
The model is used by only a few countries, including the United States.
Iran says captured unmanned US submersible at Hormuz entrance
Iran's Revolutionary Guards on Tuesday said they seized an American submarine drone in the strategic Strait of Hormuz, which Tehran has blockaded in the months-long Middle East war.
"The IRGC naval forces captured one of the most modern, unmanned, and smart submarines of the US terrorist army at the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz in a complex intelligence and operational action at dawn today," the Guards said in a statement carried by state TV.
"This smart submarine is equipped with the latest technology in the subsurface field in the world, which was delivered to the US terrorist army fleet in 2025," the statement added.
"This submarine has now been captured and images of it will be released in the coming hours."
Qatar condemns Houthi attacks on Saudi civilian, economic sites
Qatar has strongly condemned Houthi attacks targeting civilian and economic sites in several Saudi Arabian cities, including Abha, Khamis Mushait, Jazan and Najran.
According to Al Jazeera, Qatar’s Foreign Ministry also denounced the continued targeting of commercial vessels in the Red Sea, warning that such attacks threaten the safety and freedom of maritime navigation.
In a statement, the ministry described the attacks as a “reprehensible act of aggression” and an unacceptable disregard for civilian lives and the security of countries across the region.
Qatar said the attacks constituted a blatant violation of Saudi Arabia’s sovereignty and a clear breach of international law. It warned that the continued escalation posed a serious threat to regional security and stability.
The Qatari Foreign Ministry reaffirmed its opposition to attacks against civilian and economic infrastructure and stressed the need to protect maritime navigation and regional security.
Trump says Iran has been 'punished greatly' by US
US President Donald Trump has said Iran has been “punished greatly” by the United States, reiterating that Tehran will not be allowed to acquire a nuclear weapon.
Speaking at an event in Washington, DC, Trump said the US was engaged in the conflict because Iran had been seeking a nuclear weapon and was close to achieving that goal.
“We’re right now fighting because we have a certain nation that wanted a nuclear weapon; they were very close to getting it, and now they have no chance at getting it,” Trump said.
He insisted that Iran would never possess a nuclear weapon, claiming that the country had suffered severe consequences as a result of US military action.
Trump also praised the US military for its role in the conflict and described the US naval blockade of Iran as “so powerful and so effective.”
The US president reiterated that Washington would continue to prevent Iran from developing or acquiring a nuclear weapon.