Iran attacks 10 ships near Hormuz after US sinks five tankers

September 9, 2026 at 08:30 PM2 min

This digest was compiled by AI from multiple sources — links to the originals are below.

Iran said on Wednesday it attacked 10 ships near the Strait of Hormuz after the U.S. sank five Iranian oil tankers overnight, in the biggest declared wave of tit-for-tat attacks on shipping since the six-month war began. At least one seafarer was killed and another missing, and Brent crude breached $100 a barrel for the first time since July. Iran also said it fired ballistic missiles at a U.S. base in Jordan.

Key Facts

Iran said it attacked 10 ships near the Strait of Hormuz on September 9, including two U.S. vessels and eight oil tankers.
The U.S. military said it sank five Iranian oil tankers overnight near Kharg Island, Iran's main oil export hub.
Brent crude oil breached $100 per barrel for the first time since July following the attacks.
One seafarer was killed aboard the oil products tanker Hercules Star off Dubai, and another crew member was reported missing.
Iran fired 20 ballistic missiles toward a U.S. base in Jordan, and Jordan said it intercepted 18 of them.

Tit-for-Tat Shipping Strikes

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it attacked two U.S. ships and eight oil tankers near the Strait of Hormuz on September 9. The U.S. military's Central Command said it destroyed five Iranian oil tankers overnight near Kharg Island, releasing video of ships ablaze before they sank. Washington said the tanker strikes were a response to Iran's Revolutionary Guards targeting a U.S. Navy warship twice with ballistic missiles over the previous two days. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Iran would lose tankers for every attempt to hit U.S. naval ships.

Casualties and Oil Market Impact

One seafarer was killed aboard the oil products tanker Hercules Star while at anchorage off Dubai, and another crew member was reported missing, according to the vessel's charterer Peninsula. Maritime security sources said the Hercules Star may have been hit by a drone. The British maritime security agency UKMTO described a vessel in the vicinity that was listing and possibly taking on water after being struck by a projectile. Brent crude breached $100 a barrel for the first time since July, as the attacks shattered a month of relative calm.

Missile Strikes on Jordan Base

Iran said it fired ballistic missiles at a base used by U.S. forces in Jordan. Iran fired 20 ballistic missiles toward Jordan, and Jordan said it intercepted 18 of them, with two landing in unpopulated areas. The Revolutionary Guards said they would sharply escalate their response to any further attacks, hitting 20 targets for every two or three Iranian targets struck. Iran said it would soon release maps of a new, much larger off-limits zone at sea extending as far as the Arabian Gulf off Chabahar near Pakistan.