Iran strikes US base in Jordan after US destroys Iranian oil tankers in Gulf

The six-month-old conflict between the U.S. and Iran escalated sharply after U.S. forces destroyed five Iranian oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman and near Kharg Island. In retaliation, Iran launched 20 ballistic missiles at a U.S. military base near Al Azraq, Jordan, with Jordanian air defenses intercepting 18 of them. Amid the military exchanges, Brent crude oil prices surged past $100 a barrel for the first time since July, while the Trump administration imposed sweeping new sanctions on Iran's aviation sector.

US strikes Iranian tankers

• ▪U.S. Central Command forces destroyed five Iranian crude oil tankers on September 8, 2026, after the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps twice targeted a U.S. Navy warship with ballistic missiles.
• ▪The five Iranian oil tankers destroyed by U.S. forces on September 8, 2026, were identified as the Kaviz (or Kivik), Charminar, Horizon 1, and Riesco in the Gulf of Oman, and the Derya near Kharg Island.
• ▪U.S. Central Command stated that its forces warned the crews of the five Iranian tankers to abandon their vessels before striking and rendering them inoperable on September 8, 2026.
• ▪U.S. Central Command stated that U.S. forces destroyed three other Iranian crude oil tankers on September 5, 2026, after an attempted attack on a U.S. aircraft carrier and guided-missile destroyer.

Iranian missiles target Jordan

• ▪The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed its missile strikes on the Al-Azraq air base in Jordan damaged maintenance facilities, deployment locations, and shelters for fighter jets.
• ▪The Jordanian military stated that its air defense systems intercepted 18 ballistic missiles, while the remaining two fell in unpopulated areas, resulting in no reported casualties.
• ▪Iran launched a barrage of 20 ballistic missiles targeting the U.S. military base near Al Azraq in eastern Jordan on September 8, 2026, in retaliation for the U.S. destruction of its oil tankers.

Oil prices surge

• ▪Daan Struyven, co-head of global commodities research at Goldman Sachs, stated that the price of oil could rise above $120 a barrel if active U.S.-Iran hostilities continue.
• ▪International Brent crude oil prices surpassed $100 a barrel on September 9, 2026, for the first time since July, driven by the escalation of U.S.-Iran military strikes.
• ▪The average retail price of U.S. diesel reached an all-time high of $5.94 on September 9, 2026, according to the American Automobile Association.

Strait of Hormuz blockade

• ▪The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy claimed on September 8, 2026, that it captured an advanced, unmanned U.S. military submersible near the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz.
• ▪The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed it targeted 10 ships near the Strait of Hormuz on September 9, 2026, including two U.S. Navy destroyers and eight oil tankers.
• ▪U.S. Central Command spokesman Captain Tim Hawkins confirmed that an American Anduril Dive-LD underwater drone had malfunctioned and gone missing, but noted it was an older, unclassified model.
• ▪U.S. Central Command denied the Iranian claims of successful strikes on American warships, stating that no U.S. Navy warship had been struck and all attempted attacks failed.

Trump sanctions on Iran

• ▪The Trump administration imposed new sanctions on September 8, 2026, targeting more than two dozen commercial and private Iranian airlines and foreign cargo service providers.
• ▪U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stated that the aviation sanctions, part of the 'Operation Economic Outcast' campaign, aim to cut off critical financial lifelines to the Iranian government.

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