Iran has claimed it attacked 10 ships around the Strait of Hormuz after the US reportedly sunk five Iranian tankers. This escalation in strikes between the two nations has pushed oil prices above $100 a barrel, a level not seen since July.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) stated on Wednesday that it attacked two US vessels, eight oil tankers, and 10 "noncompliant vessels" near the strait. The IRGC also reported that at least one sailor was killed and another was missing. The US, however, denied that its vessels were struck, with US Central Command stating on social media that all "attempted attacks failed."
The US military said its attacks, which included publishing videos of ships on fire, were in response to Iran targeting a US navy warship twice in the preceding two days. Iran's state TV claimed the US strikes followed a "complex intelligence and operational action at dawn" to seize a US underwater drone in the strait, which the US described as a "defective" older model without sensitive data.
The US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, stated that Washington will attack Iranian tankers if Iran targets its warships. Iran has also pledged to escalate its attacks, threatening to hit 20 tankers for every two or three struck by the US. The IRGC also plans to release maps of a new, larger forbidden area for ships near the strait, extending to the Gulf off Chabahar.
Separately, the Iran-aligned Houthi movement in Yemen launched attacks on four cities in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, causing large fires at oil installations and wounding 73 people. This follows a Houthi offensive against the Saudi-backed government of Yemen last week, aimed at reaching the Red Sea and enforcing a blockade against Saudi Arabia.