The US military struck five Iranian tankers linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps on September 8, in response to attempted attacks by the IRGC on an American warship. Four of the tankers were attacked in the Gulf of Oman and one was hit near Kharg Island, with no American personnel harmed. The US had previously sunk one tanker and permanently disabled two others in a separate incident over the weekend. Iran has retaliated by launching missiles at the Al Azraq military base in Jordan, but the integrated air defense systems were able to thwart the strikes, intercepting 18 ballistic missiles.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-09,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Oil prices surged past $100 per barrel on Wednesday after a series of attacks in the Middle East, with Brent crude futures trading at $99.93 a barrel and U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude at $94.52 a barrel. The price hike comes as tensions between the US and Iran continue to escalate, with the US striking five Iranian oil tankers on Tuesday and Iran launching missiles at US targets in Jordan.
Saudi Arabia reported that its energy infrastructure was attacked by the Houthis, causing temporary pauses in operations and injuring 73 civilians. Saudi Arabia is the world's largest oil exporter, and the attacks have raised concerns about the security of global oil supplies.
The Strait of Hormuz has become a key concern, with just four ships passing through the waterway on Saturday and six on Sunday. Before the war, the strait carried more than 20% of the world's energy supply as oil was shipped to ports around the globe.
In response to the attacks, the US Central Command said it destroyed five Iranian tankers, warning crews to abandon ship before striking. Iran has launched missiles at US targets in Jordan and warned tankers near Kuwait and Bahrain to evacuate.
The price of oil has been rising steadily since the start of the Iran war on February 28, with Brent crude surging as high as $126.41 a barrel on April 30. The global price of oil topped $100 a barrel for the first time since July, adding to uncertainty over future supply.
Meanwhile, a gallon of regular gasoline averaged $4.15 in the US on Tuesday, up 26% from a year ago.
Written for “Escalating Middle East Conflict” on 2026-09-09,
grounded in this article and the 74 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
The model judged this article politically coded and scored it +0.35, but every quote it verified points left, so the score is not published.
Written under an earlier scoring contract, which gave a paragraph
rather than checkable quotes. Re-analysing this article replaces it.
Leaning score withheld for article 7271: score contradicts its own evidence · logged 2026-09-09
The U.S. military struck five Iranian tankers linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in response to attempted attacks by the IRGC on an American warship, according to U.S. Central Command.
uncertain
military → strike → Command
“CENTCOM forces destroyed five Iranian crude oil carriers, Sept. 8, after the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) targeted a U.S. Navy warship with ballistic missiles twice over the past two days,” U.S. Central Command said in a post on X. “The U.S. warship successfully evaded the attempted Iranian attacks and continued to patrol regional waters.
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warship → destroy → waters
No American personnel were harmed.”
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personnel → harm → ?
Four of the tankers were attacked in the Gulf of Oman and one was hit near Kharg Island, according to CENTCOM.
uncertain
one → attack → CENTCOM
“American forces directed the crews to abandon ship before the vessels were struck and rendered inoperable,” CENTCOM said in a statement.
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CENTCOM → direct → statement
Two American warships were attacked and damaged by ballistic missiles, the IRGC said in a statement, according to the semi-official Fars news agency.
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IRGC → attack → agency
The IRGC also said in a statement Tuesday that they had retaliated by launching missiles at American forces on the Al Azraq military base in Jordan, according to the semi-official Fars news agency.
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they → say → agency
A U.S. official said that Iran fired a series of missiles toward Jordan but the Iranian response was considered ineffective, and the integrated air and missile defense systems were able to thwart the Iranian strikes.
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systems → say → strikes
All American forces in Jordan are accounted for, the official said.
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official → account → Jordan
Jordanian air defense systems intercepted 18 ballistic missiles and two missiles fell in unpopulated areas, the spokesperson for the Jordanian armed forces said Tuesday, according to Jordanian state media.
The strikes on the Iranian tankers Tuesday come after the IRGC attempted to hit an American aircraft carrier and a destroyer over the weekend, resulting in a U.S. response in which the U.S. sank one tanker and permanently disabled two more.
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U.S. → intercept → two
Iran also threatened to target oil tankers in Kuwait and Bahrain in retaliation for the U.S. strikes on Tuesday.
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Iran → threaten → Tuesday
“Following the actions of the American military in targeting several Iranian oil tankers, we warn all oil tanker crews in the areas around the ports of Kuwait and Bahrain, which are hosting these forces and are complicit in their actions, to immediately evacuate their vessels, whether they are at anchor or docked as they will be targeted,” the IRGC Navy said in a statement posted by the semi-official Fars news agency.
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Navy → follow → agency
The Strait of Hormuz, the vital waterway through which some 20% of the world’s oil flowed before the war, has become the key battleground in the conflict as both the U.S. and Iran have attacked tankers.
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U.S. → flow → tankers
The Trump administration on Tuesday also imposed sanctions on additional elements of Iran’s aviation industry, targeting more than two dozen commercial and private airlines as well as foreign cargo service providers in its new push to isolate Tehran from its remaining trading partners.
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administration → impose → partners
A U.S. blockade of Iranian ports has squeezed the country’s economy by limiting its oil exports, while the American military has been helping a limited number of ships transit on a route through the Strait of Hormuz off Oman.
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number → squeeze → Oman
Tehran wants ships to follow a route that it chooses through the strait, which was considered an international waterway before the war.
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which → want → war
