The US military has said it struck five Iranian oil tankers on Tuesday.

The US Central Command (CENTCOM) said it struck the ships "after the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) targeted a US Navy warship with ballistic missiles twice over the past two days."

"The US warship successfully evaded the attempted Iranian attacks and continued to patrol regional waters. No American personnel were harmed," it added.

CENTCOM said it directed the crews to abandon ship shortly before the strikes. There were no immediate reports regarding casualties.

Iranian media reported explosions were heard near the southern port of Jask and on Kharg Island — both key ports for the country's oil exports.

What do we know about the ships that were attacked?

US forces attacked four Iranian oil carriers in the Gulf of Oman: the M/T Kaviz, the M/T Charminar, the M/T Horizon 1 and the M/T Riesco.

US forces also attacked the M/T Derya near Kharg Island in the Strait of Hormuz.

CENTCOM linked these five vessels to the IRGC.

"Iran has used the tankers as part of a multibillion-dollar shadow network that funds the IRGC and its regional proxies," CENTCOM said in a statement.

"Iran has no means by which to defend these vessels."

How has Iran retaliated to the US strikes?

Iranian state media reported that Iran carried out a ballistic missile attack on US targets in Jordan.

Jordan's army said Wednesday morning that it shot down 18 missiles from Iran. Jordan is a US ally and hosts an American military facility. 

"Jordan's air defense systems engaged 20 ballistic missiles launched toward Jordanian territory, successfully intercepting and destroying 18 of them, while two missiles fell in unpopulated areas," the army statement said, adding that Iran fired the missiles.

An American official said the Iranian attack on Jordan had been ineffective and that all US personnel were accounted for.

The IRGC said it also targeted two US ships, eight oil tankers and 10 other "non-compliant vessels" that it said were "attempting to pass through the prohibited and unsafe zone" in the Strait of Hormuz.

US denies Iranian claims 

But the US military dismissed Iran's claims, saying all of Iran's attempted attacks on vessels in the region had failed.

"Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces have claimed they struck two US Navy destroyers operating in the Middle ‌East. This is completely FALSE," US CENTCOM said on X.

Iran warns tankers 

Earlier on Wednesday morning, the IRCG warned it would target oil tankers off the coast of Bahrain and Kuwait in particular.

"We warn all oil tankers in the Kuwaiti and Bahraini ports... whether they are anchored or docked — we warn them to leave their vessels because they will be targeted," the IRCG said in a statement.

Since the start of the US-Israeli war with Iran, Tehran has repeatedly targeted US military bases, ships and American allies across the Middle East.

Edited by: Sean Sinico

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