A liquefied natural gas tanker has been damaged in the Emirati port of Khor Fakkan, according to a maritime security source cited by Reuters, though it was unclear who was responsible [1]. That is the first reported damage to a gas carrier in this exchange, and it sits outside Hormuz, on the UAE's Gulf of Oman coast. Alongside it, Reuters reports that Iran has threatened oil tankers in Kuwaiti and Bahraini ports [1].

Reuters also confirms the core of Tuesday's exchange. CENTCOM says it destroyed five Iranian oil tankers and released video of the strikes, describing them as a response to the IRGC targeting a US Navy warship twice with ballistic missiles over the previous two days; no Americans were harmed [1]. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Iran will lose tankers for every attempt on US naval ships [1].

Iran responded with a ballistic missile attack on the base near Al Azraq in Jordan. Although Iran said its missiles inflicted heavy damage, Jordan said its air defences intercepted 18 of 20, with two falling in unpopulated areas and no casualties, and a US official said the Jordan strikes were ineffective with all American troops accounted for [1]. That official assessment is new: it is the first time a US source has characterised the Jordan barrage as a failure [1].

The IRGC separately claimed it attacked ten ships, including two US vessels and eight oil tankers, attempting to cross a 'prohibited and unsafe' area of the strait [1]. As with earlier Iranian claims, this is uncorroborated.

The traffic numbers remain the steadiest measure. Six commodity vessels transited Hormuz on Tuesday, down from nine a day earlier and below the ten-day average of about twelve, though Kpler's figures are preliminary and can change as ships switch off transponders [2].

Washington describes its strategy as increasing the flow of oil to world markets by guiding ships through Hormuz while cutting off Iran's exports with a blockade [1]. The strait remains largely choked off.