The United States destroyed five Iranian oil tankers Tuesday after Iran’s Revolutionary Guard repeatedly attempted to strike an American warship with ballistic missiles, triggering another round of military retaliation in the more than six-month-old conflict. Iran subsequently launched missiles toward U.S. targets in Jordan, according to Iranian state media.

Iranian state-run outlets reported the missile launches toward American targets in Jordan following the U.S. tanker strikes. U.S. Central Command said it had no information to provide regarding the reported attack on the Jordanian airbase.

The new military action came as President Donald Trump’s administration continued pursuing both military and economic pressure against Tehran in an effort to bring the war to an end. On Tuesday, the administration also announced additional sanctions aimed at Iran’s aviation sector, targeting more than two dozen commercial and private airlines along with foreign companies providing cargo services to Iran.

At the center of the confrontation is the Strait of Hormuz, the strategically critical waterway through which roughly one-fifth of global oil supplies traveled before the war. Both Washington and Tehran have sought to dictate shipping conditions in the region, while disruptions have pushed energy prices higher. Brent crude, the international benchmark, briefly reached $99.46 per barrel Tuesday, creating another economic and political concern for Trump and Republicans heading into November’s midterm elections.

Tuesday’s operation followed another U.S. strike Saturday in which American forces destroyed three Iranian tankers after the Revolutionary Guard attempted to hit a U.S. aircraft carrier and destroyer with ballistic missiles. The U.S. military warned at the time that it would, “if necessary, destroy Iran’s limited and exposed oil fleet.” Iran later said it intended to establish a new “exclusion zone” near the Strait of Hormuz for ships seeking passage through the waterway.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington would continue responding when Iran attempts to target American naval forces.

“Iran continues to try to hit U.S. naval ships. And for every time they do that or try to do that, they’re going to lose tankers.

“And I think you’ll see that again today,” Rubio told reporters Tuesday when asked about the latest attacks in Iran while on a trip to Colombia.

Danny Citrinowicz, an Iran expert at Israel’s Institute for National Security Studies, cautioned that the escalating cycle of strikes and counterstrikes could provoke additional retaliation while inflicting greater damage on the international economy.

“There is no kinetic solution to the Strait of Hormuz problem,” he said on social media. “Every attempt to impose one only brings Washington and Tehran closer to an escalation that may become increasingly difficult to control.”

According to U.S. Central Command, American forces destroyed the Kaviz, Charminar, Horizon 1 and Riesco in the Gulf of Oman, along with the Derya near Kharg Island. CENTCOM said American forces ordered the crews to abandon the five vessels before striking them and rendering them inoperable. The military described the tankers as part of a multibillion-dollar network used to finance the Revolutionary Guard and its regional proxies.

Iranian state television separately confirmed attacks on Iranian oil tankers, reporting strikes near the southern port of Jask and near Kharg Island in the Persian Gulf. According to the Iranian reports, crew members evacuated the vessels.

A state television correspondent in Jask reported that an Iranian tanker had been hit near the Yekbeni coastline. Iranian television subsequently said American forces struck a second tanker in waters near Jask, while another report said a separate tanker was attacked in the anchorage area around Kharg Island.

Earlier Tuesday, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Navy warned crews aboard oil tankers near ports in Kuwait and Bahrain to leave their vessels immediately, threatening that the ships could become targets in retaliation for American attacks on Iranian tankers. Tehran accused Kuwait and Bahrain of hosting U.S. forces and facilitating American military operations.

Meanwhile, the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports has intensified pressure on Tehran’s economy by restricting its ability to export oil. American forces have also assisted a limited number of commercial vessels traveling through the Strait of Hormuz along a route near Oman. Iran, however, has sought to require vessels to use a route designated by Tehran through the strategic waterway, which was regarded as an international shipping passage before the war.