US Destroys Five More Iranian Tankers as Iran Strikes Back at Jordan

U.S. Central Command said it destroyed five more Iranian oil tankers on September 8, 2026, the Kivik, Charminar, Horizon 1, Riesco, and Derya, after the Revolutionary Guard twice targeted a U.S. Navy warship with ballistic missiles over the preceding two days; the warship evaded the attacks and no American personnel were harmed. It followed the destruction of three tankers on September 5, bringing the total to eight since that first strike. In response, Iran launched missiles toward U.S. targets in Jordan; the Jordanian military said its air defenses intercepted 18 of them, with no reported casualties.

The exchange is the latest escalation in a war now in its seventh month without congressional authorization, as the administration pairs strikes with new sanctions on the Iranian aviation sector to further isolate Tehran economically. Rising Gulf tensions have pushed Brent crude oil prices to nearly $100 a barrel, a politically sensitive development for Trump ahead of the midterms.

Neither side has signaled a shift toward de-escalation; Iran has separately threatened to declare an exclusion zone in the Strait of Hormuz, and U.S. officials say further retaliatory strikes are likely if attacks on American ships continue.