2 US vessels hit after 5 Iranian oil tankers destroyed: How the war escalated again

The United States on Tuesday claimed to have destroyed five Iranian crude oil tankers following alleged attempts by Iran to attack a US Navy warship, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said. Thereafter, Tehran claimed to have attacked two US vessels and eight oil tankers in the Gulf on Wednesday.Iran's Revolutionary Guards said it attacked 10 ships which were trying to cross a "prohibited and unsafe" area of the Strait of Hormuz. Iran earlier claimed to have struck a US military base in Jordan, and issued warnings to tankers near ports in Kuwait and Bahrain.The US and Iran have launched fresh attacks on each other over the past few weeks, reviving military hostilities, as the war enters seventh month.The US attack on Iranian oil tankers came in response to alleged attempts by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to target a US Navy warship.