Iran Attacks 10 Ships as Gulf Fighting Escalates

Iran said on Wednesday it had attacked 10 ships near the Strait of Hormuz after the US military destroyed five Iranian oil tankers, marking the biggest wave of attacks on shipping by both sides since the start of the six-month war.

The attacks sent Brent crude above $100 a barrel for the first time since July. US diesel prices also reached a record high.

At least one seafarer was killed and another was missing following attacks on vessels in the Gulf of Oman and the northern Gulf. Several merchant ships were hit, while an LNG tanker was reported damaged.

Iran's Revolutionary Guard threatened to escalate its response to further attacks and said a new off-limits zone at sea would extend as far as Chabahar, near Pakistan. Iran also fired ballistic missiles at a US military base in Jordan, most of which were intercepted.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed that Washington would attack Iranian tankers in retaliation for attempts to target US warships.

US President Donald Trump said Tehran was trying to influence the November midterm elections and predicted the war would end immediately afterward.

However, the Wall Street Journal reported that senior White House advisers, including Vice President JD Vance and Rubio, had privately warned Trump that the conflict could last through the remainder of his presidency, which ends in January 2029. Reuters could not independently verify the report.

(Reuters, max)