Tehran: Tensions between the US and Iran escalated further on Wednesday after Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed it had launched a ballistic missile attack on a US military base in Jordan and captured a sophisticated US unmanned underwater drone in the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz.
The developments came amid an intensifying confrontation between the two countries, with Tehran describing the latest actions as retaliation for recent US strikes on Iranian oil tankers.
The IRGC claimed it targeted a US air base at Al-Azraq in Jordan, saying the attack caused damage to aircraft maintenance facilities, military installations and fighter-jet shelters.
Jordan’s military, however, said it had intercepted and destroyed 18 Iranian missiles launched towards the country.
Iran subsequently warned that oil tankers operating near US allies Kuwait and Bahrain could also be targeted if attacks on Iranian vessels continued. The IRGC reportedly called on crews of tankers in the area to leave their ships.
The latest escalation follows US attacks on five Iranian oil tankers. Washington said crews had been warned before the strikes. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio had earlier warned that Iranian oil tankers could be targeted in response to attacks or attempted attacks on American vessels.
The IRGC also claimed it had seized an advanced unmanned underwater drone in the Strait of Hormuz.
The US military disputed Iran’s account, saying the drone had suffered a technical malfunction and was an older model that did not contain sensitive information.
The Strait of Hormuz remains at the centre of the confrontation, with Iran tightening its control over the key waterway through which a significant share of global oil and gas trade passes. Shipping activity has reportedly been severely disrupted.
Iranian state media also claimed that the IRGC had targeted two US warships with ballistic missiles. The US military had not immediately commented on the claim.
The latest developments mark another escalation in a conflict that has continued for six months, with both sides showing no immediate signs of backing down.
