Iran, US trade blows as Hormuz impasse deepens

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has retaliated against the United States by firing ballistic missiles at American forces in Jordan and attacking ships in the Strait of Hormuz, escalating a recent six-month conflict. The IRGC claimed it targeted two U.S. warships, eight oil tankers, and 10 vessels accused of attempting to cross a "prohibited and unsafe" zone in the Strait of Hormuz. However, the extent of the damage caused by the attacks has not been independently verified.

This attack followed a series of threats against oil tankers near the ports of Bahrain and Kuwait, both at anchor and berthed. The conflict began a week ago with US strikes on Iranian oil tankers, part of what President Donald Trump has referred to as a new "tanker-for-tanker" policy. On September 2, the US military struck two Iranian government tankers, and three more were targeted on Saturday after Iran fired missiles at two American warships. No Americans were harmed in the US strikes.

Shipping monitor TankerTrackers suggested that the US strikes targeted one very large crude carrier (VLCC) and two Suezmax vessels, which were part of a shadow network allegedly funding the IRGC and its proxies, including Hamas in Palestine, Hezbollah in Lebanon, Iraqi Shiite militias, and Yemen's Houthi rebels. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that Iran would face consequences for each attack on US naval ships or attempts to do so.

In response to the US strikes, Iran launched a ballistic missile attack on Al Azraq airbase in Jordan, targeting US F-35, F-16, and F-15 fighter jets. Jordan's armed forces engaged 20 ballistic missiles, successfully intercepting and destroying 18 of them, while two fell in unpopulated areas. No casualties were reported in Jordan.

The escalation in the conflict has been ongoing, with Iran striking US assets and allies in the region repeatedly. This includes previous attacks in Jordan, one of which resulted in the death of at least two American service members in July. The broader standoff between Washington and Tehran has turned into a standoff between the US and Iran, each side betting on economic pressure and blockades to force the other to back down.