Iran's Largest Shipping Assault Escalates Strait of Hormuz Crisis

Tehran claimed its biggest wave of attacks on commercial vessels since the war began, putting the Strait of Hormuz under severe strain and sending crude prices sharply higher. In response, U.S. Central Command said it destroyed five Iranian oil carriers in the Gulf of Oman and near Kharg Island, calling them part of a shadow network funding the Revolutionary Guards. The strikes were framed as retaliation for two failed Iranian ballistic missile attacks on a U.S. Navy warship.

Iran's claimed assault targeted ten vessels near the strait, including two U.S. ships and eight oil tankers, while also launching ballistic missiles at a U.S. military base in Jordan. The attacks killed at least one crew member aboard the Gibraltar-flagged Hercules Star and ignited fires on several other commercial vessels.

U.S. Central Command's retaliatory strikes focused on tankers near Kharg Island, Iran's primary oil export terminal, describing them as assets in a shadow network supporting the Revolutionary Guards. Despite the escalation, U.S. officials maintain that all recent Iranian missile launches against American warships have failed to hit their targets.