On a Tuesday in early September, a war already strained across the Gulf reached a new pitch of claims and counterclaims, with Iranian state broadcasters and the Revolutionary Guards describing missile strikes on a US base in Jordan, the seizure of an American underwater drone, and warnings to tanker crews in Kuwaiti and Bahraini ports. Each of these assertions travels through a single channel, Iran's own media and military, and has not yet been met by confirmation from Washington, Amman or any independent observer. Like many moments in the long history of armed conflict, what is announced may
Iran Claims Missile Strikes on US Positions in Jordan and Seizure of US Submersible Amid Tanker Attacks
Every account comes from Iranian state outlets or the IRGC.
Mark
Let's start with the big claim. What is Iran saying happened in Jordan?
Mimi
That a batch of missiles hit a US base operating there, in retaliation for attacks on Iranian tankers near Kharg Island and off Jask. IRIB reported it, citing Arab media.
Luke
Worth pausing on that. It's Iranian state TV citing unnamed Arab media. No US statement, no Jordanian statement, no damage assessment. So this is a claim, not an established strike.
Mark
And the tanker attacks that supposedly triggered it?
Mimi
IRIB says one tanker was hit near Kharg and its crew evacuated safely. Then a commercial vessel was hit off Jask, plus an unexplained explosion nearby.
Luke
Same sourcing problem. We also don't know who was behind that unexplained blast. The report itself says its origin is unidentified.
Mark
The IRGC warning to Gulf ports seems like a different kind of statement.
Mimi
It is. It tells tanker crews in Kuwaiti and Bahraini ports to leave their ships because they'll be targeted. It names host countries, so it widens the circle beyond Iran and the US.
Luke
Though it's a threat, not an event. Nothing in the reporting says any ship there has been hit.
Mark
And the submersible?
Mimi
The IRGC Navy says it seized an American unmanned submersible at the Hormuz entrance at dawn, delivered to the US fleet in 2025. IRNA called it a war trophy and promised photos.
Luke
Which is the useful part, because photos would be checkable. Until they appear and the US responds, it's an unverified claim.
Mark
Where does Trump's oil price post fit?
Mimi
He said prices will fall below two dollars a gallon once the US wins. It shows how directly the war and fuel costs are linked in the public conversation.
Der Puls
- Iranian state media says missiles struck a US base in Jordan, yet no independent source or Jordanian statement backs the claim.
- Tanker strikes near Kharg Island and off Jask County were reported within minutes of each other, leaving crews and insurers scrambling.
- The Revolutionary Guards ordered tanker crews in Kuwaiti and Bahraini ports to abandon their ships immediately, pulling Gulf neighbours into the fight.
- A claimed seizure of an American submersible at the Strait of Hormuz awaits photographs that have not yet appeared, while Trump ties oil prices to victory.
- Watch whether Washington confirms or denies the claims and whether any vessel in Gulf ports is actually struck.
On a Tuesday in early September, a war already strained across the Gulf reached a new pitch of claims and counterclaims, with Iranian state broadcasters and the Revolutionary Guards describing missile strikes on a US base in Jordan, the seizure of an American underwater drone, and warnings to tanker crews in Kuwaiti and Bahraini ports. Each of these assertions travels through a single channel, Iran's own media and military, and has not yet been met by confirmation from Washington, Amman or any independent observer. Like many moments in the long history of armed conflict, what is announced may matter as much as what is verifiable, since declarations shape fear, markets and the choices of ordinary sailors long before the facts settle.
Iranian state broadcaster IRIB reported that Iranian missiles had struck a US military base in Jordan, framing the launch as retaliation for attacks on Iranian oil tankers. The only source offered for the strike was Arab media relayed through IRIB. Nothing from the United States or Jordan has been cited, and no independent verification has surfaced.
IRIB also described a rapid sequence of maritime incidents. A tanker was reportedly hit near the Kharg Island anchorage, with its crew evacuated safely. Soon after, the broadcaster said US forces had attacked a commercial vessel off Jask County, and an unexplained blast was reported in the same waters.
The Revolutionary Guards Navy then issued an urgent warning, naming ports in Kuwait and Bahrain. It called the US military terrorist, accused both host countries of complicity, and told crews to leave their ships at once, whether anchored or docked. The threat thus extends beyond Iran and the United States to commercial shipping across the Gulf.
Earlier, the Navy claimed its forces had captured an advanced American unmanned submersible at the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz. IRNA called it a war trophy and promised photographs within hours, but none had been described as released, and the US had not responded.
On Monday, Donald Trump linked the conflict to the cost of living, writing on Truth Social that oil prices would fall sharply once the US won the war, bringing gasoline toward two dollars a gallon. He also repeated that Iran would never acquire a nuclear weapon. For now, every claim in this sequence rests on Iranian sources, and the coming days will show whether Washington answers them.
Iranian state broadcaster IRIB reported that a batch of Iranian missiles struck a US military base operating in Jordan, describing the launch as retaliation for attacks on Iranian oil tankers. The broadcaster attributed the confirmation to Arab media. No independent verification of the strike appears in the reporting, and nothing from the US or Jordan is cited.
According to IRIB, the tanker attacks came in quick succession. The first hit an Iranian oil tanker near the Kharg Island anchorage, and the crew was evacuated safely. Moments later, the broadcaster said, US forces attacked a commercial vessel in coastal waters off Jask County. Another explosion of unidentified origin was reported in the same area.
The IRGC Navy then issued an urgent evacuation warning, again relayed by IRIB. It was addressed to crews of vessels in neighbouring ports and named Kuwaiti and Bahraini ports specifically. The statement called the US military "terrorist" and accused those two countries of hosting it and sharing in its "atrocities." It told tanker crews to leave their vessels immediately, whether anchored or docked, because the ships would be targeted. That threat reaches past Iran and the United States to commercial shipping in Gulf states.
Earlier on Tuesday, the IRGC Navy made a separate claim: that its forces had captured an American unmanned submersible at the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz. IRIB quoted the Navy as saying its fighters "trapped" one of the most modern, intelligent unmanned submarines in the US arsenal at dawn, in what it called a complex intelligence and operational effort. It said the craft carries the latest underwater technology and was delivered to the US fleet in 2025.
The state news agency IRNA described the vessel as holding the world's most advanced underwater technology and said it had been seized as a "war trophy." IRNA added that photographs of the captured submersible were expected within hours. As of this reporting, none are described as having been released, and the US has not been quoted on the claim.
On Monday, local time, US President Donald Trump addressed the economic side of the conflict on Truth Social. He wrote that oil prices will drop "precipitously" when the US wins the war with Iran, putting gasoline at three dollars a gallon and ultimately below two dollars. He tied high energy costs directly to the military operations in the Middle East and said the shift would come quickly. He also repeated that Iran will never have a nuclear weapon.
Every account of the missile strikes, the tanker attacks and the submersible capture comes from Iranian state outlets or the IRGC. The next things to watch are whether Washington confirms or denies the Jordan strike and the submersible claim, whether the promised photographs appear, and whether any ship at a Bahraini or Kuwaiti port is actually attacked.
Bemerkenswerte Zitate
Oil prices will drop precipitously, like everything else is dropping (but more!), when we WIN the war with Iran.— US President Donald Trump, on Truth Social
The IRGC Navy told tanker crews in Kuwaiti and Bahraini ports to leave their vessels immediately because they will be targeted.— IRGC Navy, as reported by IRIB
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