Iran attacks 10 ships near Strait of Hormuz in response to US strikes, oil prices surge

Iran on Wednesday claimed that it attacked 10 ships near the Strait of Hormuz as a response to US strikes that sank five Iranian oil tankers, ‌marking the biggest wave of attacks on shipping by both sides since the Middle East war began six-month-old war. According to Reuters, at least one seafarer aboard a tanker was reported killed and another listed as missing.

The fresh atatcks in the Gulf sent oil prices surging, with benchmark Brent crude futures breaching $100 a barrel for the first time since July.

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Tehran had fired ballistic missiles at a US military base in ​Jordan, following which the country said that it intercepted 18 missiles, with the remaining two falling harmlessly in unpopulated areas. An official from Washington said all American troops were accounted for.

Following the fresh attacks, Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps said it would sharply escalate its response to any further attacks, adding that Iran would soon release maps of a new, enlarged off-limits zone at sea that would extend ⁠as far as Chabahar on the coast near Pakistan.

US President Donald Trump stated that Tehran was trying to influence the November US midterm elections, which will determine whether his Republican Party retains control of Congress.

"I think war ​is going to end immediately after the election because they can't hold out any longer. They're desperate to try and affect the election," he told reporters, as quoted by Reuters.

According to a Wall Street Journal report, top White ​House advisers, including Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, have privately warned Trump that the conflict could extend through the remainder of his presidency, which ends in January 2029.

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VIDEO SHOWS IRANIAN TANKERS ABLAZE

The US CENTCOM said it destroyed five ​Iranian oil tankers overnight, releasing video of ships ablaze before they sank. The military called its attacks a response to the Revolutionary Guard targeting a US Navy warship twice with ballistic missiles.

"The U.S. warship successfully evaded the attempted Iranian attacks and continued to patrol regional waters. No American personnel were harmed. In response to Iran’s most recent failed attacks, CENTCOM destroyed the IRGC crude oil carriers M/T Kaviz, M/T Charminar, M/T Horizon 1, and M/T Riesco in the Gulf of Oman as well as M/T Derya near Kharg Island. American forces directed the crews to abandon ship before the vessels were struck and rendered inoperable," the statement said.