US forces destroy five Iranian oil tankers after warship targeted

U.S. forces destroyed five Iranian crude oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman and near Kharg Island after the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) twice targeted a U.S. Navy warship with ballistic missiles. The U.S. warship successfully evaded both attacks, and no American personnel were injured. CENTCOM stated that "Iran has used the tankers as part of a multibillion-dollar shadow network that funds the IRGC and its regional proxies." In a separate incident, Jordan's air defenses intercepted 18 of 20 ballistic missiles fired from Iran, with the IRGC claiming they targeted a U.S. military base in retaliation for the tanker strikes. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned that "Iran continues to try to hit U.S. naval ships. For every time they do that or try to do that, they're going to lose tankers." Additionally, the U.S. sanctioned 27 Iranian airlines for supporting Iran's aviation sector, which is used to move weapons and illicit cargo.