Iran launches missile barrage at Jordan, captures 'most mysterious US underwater toy' in Hormuz; oil prices rise

After US attack on Iranian ships, Iran retaliated by launching missiles at Jordan on Wednesday (Sep 9), saying it was targeting Muwaffaq Salti Air Base, a key facility used by US forces. In a statement, Iran's Revolutionary Guards said they "struck the American Al-Azraq base in Jordan with heavy missile strikes" in a "punitive operation", IRNA reported. Soon after, Jordan's army said it shot down 18 missiles from Iran. "Jordan's air defense systems engaged 20 ballistic missiles launched toward Jordanian territory, successfully intercepting and destroying 18 of them, while two missiles fell in unpopulated areas," the army said in a statement, adding that they came from Iran.

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This comes after US forces struck five Iranian ⁠tankers linked to the IRGC on Tuesday (Sep 8) in response to Iran's attempted missile ⁠attacks on ⁠US Navy warship in the past two days, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said. US forces struck four crude oil carriers in the Gulf of Oman and one near Kharg Island in the Persian Gulf. It also cofirmed that the US ship had evaded the attempted attacks and was continuing to patrol regional waters, and no American personnel had been harmed. CENTCOM also said US forces instructed the crews of the vessels to abandon ship prior to striking.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, during his trip to Colombia, warned Tehran that the US would respond every time Iran targeted its naval ships.

“Iran continues to try to hit US naval ships and for every time they do that, or try to do that, they’re going to lose tankers,” he told reporters in Baranquilla.

Oil prices rise

Meanwhile, as strikes and counter strikes began, oil prices jumped for the fourth straight session, gaining more than $1 in early trade on Wednesday after Iran launched ​fresh attacks on US military assets in Jordan. Brent crude futures rose $1.57, or 1.6%, to $99.49 a barrel by ​0001 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude was at $94.63 ​a barrel, up $1.60, or 1.72%.

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Iran says it captured US submarine drone in Strait of Hormuz

Amid the attacks, IRGC also said that it has captured a US uncrewed submarine at the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian state media said the ​vessel was a Dive-LD, a large autonomous underwater vehicle built by ⁠California defense firm Anduril. The 19-foot (5.8-metre) submersible can carry out missions including mine ​countermeasures, seabed mapping, intelligence gathering and the inspection of underwater infrastructure such as cables ​and pipelines, the company has said. "We trapped one of the most modern, intelligent and unmanned submarines of the terrorist American army at the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz. This submersible is ​equipped with the latest technologies," the Revolutionary Guards Navy said in a statement ​carried by Iranian state media.

In response, a Pentagon spokesperson said an underwater drone had “malfunctioned more than ‌a ⁠day ago.” "It was surveying regional waters in support of ongoing operations. The defective drone was an older model that neither collected sensitive data nor carried any classified sonar or radar equipment," the spokesperson said.