The M/T Riesco went down in the Gulf of Oman on Tuesday after US Central Command struck it along with four other Iranian tankers — all linked to Tehran's Revolutionary Guards Corps. Centcom said the vessels were part of "a multi-billion-dollar shadow network" funding the IRGC and its regional proxies. The strike came after Iran twice targeted an American warship with ballistic missiles, both attacks successfully evaded, Centcom added, with no US troops reported harmed. Iran did not absorb the blow quietly.

The Revolutionary Guards launched missiles at a US base in Jordan — 18 of the 20 were intercepted, with the remaining two landing in unpopulated areas, Jordan's armed forces said. Tehran also claimed on Wednesday that it had attacked two US vessels, eight oil tankers, and ten other ships attempting to pass through the Strait of Hormuz. That chokepoint matters enormously: roughly 90% of Iran's crude oil passes through nearby Kharg Island, where a separate US strike also hit an Iranian tanker on Tuesday. Energy markets responded immediately.

Benchmark Brent crude climbed 1.5% to $99.35 a barrel in Asian trading, while US-traded oil rose 1.3% to $94.

23. The pressure was compounded by a separate Houthi attack on Saudi Arabian energy facilities, which caused fires, a temporary halt to operations, and left 73 people injured, according to Riyadh. The current cycle of escalation began more than six months after the US and Israel first struck Iran on 28 February.