Washington D.C. – Web Desk: Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed responsibility for ballistic missile strikes targeting a US air base in Jordan on Tuesday, while the US military carried out a third consecutive night of strikes against Iran as President Donald Trump reimposed a blockade on Iranian shipping and proposed charging a 20% fee to guard the Strait of Hormuz .
US Air Base Targeted in Jordan
The IRGC said in a statement carried by Fars News that the missiles targeted a US air base in Jordan, while calling on Jordanians to dismantle American bases in the kingdom . Jordan’s armed forces said they intercepted and shot down four missiles that entered Jordanian airspace from Iranian territory, according to the state news agency .
Trump Threatens More Strikes
US Central Command said it began strikes at Trump’s direction after the US president told the “Hugh Hewitt Show” that Iran would be hit “very hard tonight, and we’re going to hit them hard tomorrow. And there’s not a damn thing they can do about it.”
UAE Tankers Struck
The UAE Ministry of Defence later said Iranian cruise missiles struck two Emirati oil tankers, the Mombasa and Al Bahiyah, while transiting the southern lane of the strait in Omani territorial waters, wounding one crew member and injuring eight others . The UK Maritime Trade Operations agency separately reported a tanker hit by an unknown projectile northeast of Oman’s Qalhat .
Trump Declares US “Guardian” of the Strait
In a Truth Social post, Trump declared: “The Hormuz Strait is OPEN, and will remain OPEN, with or without Iran. We are reinstating THE IRANIAN BLOCKADE. The USA will be, from this point forward, known as ‘THE GUARDIAN OF THE HORMUZ STRAIT,’ but as such, and as a matter of FAIRNESS, will be reimbursed, at the rate of 20% on all cargo shipped.”
Iran’s top joint military command said the US had no role in determining the future of the waterway. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi responded on X: “Tehran is the guardian of the strait and will remain so forever. 20% is of course too much. We will be fair.”
Casualties in Southwestern Iran
Four people were injured after US projectiles struck the southwestern Iranian city of Omidiyeh early Tuesday, according to Valiollah Hayati, deputy governor of Iran’s Khuzestan province .
Iranian media reported explosions in Bandar Abbas, Kish and Qeshm islands, and Abu Musa Island, with Iranian state TV citing the army as saying it targeted a “hostile” US vessel with cruise missiles and US facilities in Kuwait with drones .
Oil Prices Surge
Oil prices rose nearly 3% to their highest in four weeks. Brent crude futures were up 2.3% to $85.20 per barrel, while US WTI rose 2.4% to $80.05 per barrel . Both contracts earlier rose more than $2 a barrel before paring some gains, with Brent having surged 9.6% in the previous session—its biggest daily gain since May 2020 .
Before the conflict began, around a fifth of the world’s oil and gas traffic passed through Hormuz daily, delivering more than 15 million barrels of fuel worth at least $1.2 billion. A 20% fee could generate around $240 million per day .
