US Strikes Iranian Tankers; Iran Hits US Base in Jordan

The United States destroyed five Iranian oil tankers after accusing Iran's Revolutionary Guard of twice targeting a US warship with ballistic missiles, and Iran retaliated with a missile strike on the Al Azraq base in Jordan, most of which was intercepted. The exchange, six months into the US and Israeli war on Iran, comes alongside Iran's continued closure of the Strait of Hormuz and a US naval blockade, pushing oil prices toward $100 a barrel. This direct military clash between Iran and the United States, now drawing Jordan into the strike zone, marks a tangible widening of a regional war centred on Israel's security and Middle East alliances.