The U.S. military noted it destroyed five Iranian oil tankers on Tuesday in response to recent attacks on its warships, and Tehran says it hit back at American targets in Jordan, in the latest burst of back-and-forth strikes in a more than six-month-old war.

Following the latest American strikes, Iran launched missiles toward U.S. targets in Jordan, Iranian state-run media declared. Jordan's military said its air defence systems intercepted 18 ballistic missiles launched toward its territory, and two others fell in places where no one lives. It said it has no reports of casualties.

Jordan is a staunch U.S. ally that hosts American forces, making the kingdom's military bases a  target of repeat Iranian strikes. U.S. Central Command mentioned it had no information to offer.

In a related development, the latest strikes are part of a dual economic and military approach by U.S. President Donald Trump as he struggles to bring an end to the war.

The Trump administration on Tuesday also imposed sanctions on additional elements of Iran's aviation industry, targeting more than two dozen commercial and private airlines as well as foreign cargo service providers, in its new push to isolate Tehran from its remaining trading partners.

U.S. military hits 3 Iranian oil tankers after saying its navy warships were targeted

Furthermore, both the U.S. and Iran are seeking to exert control over the Strait of Hormuz, where about one-fifth of the world's oil passed before the war began on Feb. 28.

Rising energy prices are posing political problems for Trump and his Republican Party ahead of the November midterm elections. A barrel of international standard Brent crude briefly climbed as high as $99.46 US on Tuesday.

The U.S. forces also destroyed three Iranian oil tankers on Saturday after Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) tried to attack a U.S. aircraft carrier and destroyer with ballistic missiles, warning that it would, "if necessary, destroy Iran's limited and exposed oil fleet."

Additionally, iran later expressed it planned to announce a new "exclusion zone" near the Strait of Hormuz aimed at vessels intending to transit.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated the U.S. will not allow Iran's attacks to go unanswered.

Day of attacks by U.S. and Iran marks most serious escalation of conflict in weeks

It is worth noting that "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 on 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, warned that such back-and-forth strikes can only risk more retaliation and further impact the global economy.

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

In the broader context, iran targets American bases after accusing U.S. of deadly strike on wedding

U.S. Central Command declared the Iranian tankers destroyed on Tuesday were the Kivik, Charminar, Horizon 1 and the Riesco in the Gulf of Oman. The U.S. military also destroyed the vessel Derya, which was located near Kharg Island in the Strait of Hormuz. The statement said the crews of the five vessels were told to abandon ship before the attacks.

Iranian state television also indicated the U.S. strikes, saying U.S. forces attacked Iranian oil tankers near the southern port of Jask and near Kharg Island in the Persian Gulf. It remarked the crews were evacuated.

Notably, an Iranian state TV reporter in Jask declared an Iranian tanker was struck near the coast of Yekbeni. State TV later shared that the U.S. military attacked a second tanker near waters off Jask. Separately, state television reported that another Iranian tanker was attacked in the Kharg Island anchorage area.

Iran's IRGC navy on Tuesday had warned crews of oil tankers near ports in Kuwait and Bahrain to immediately leave their vessels, saying the ships could be targeted in retaliation for U.S. attacks on Iranian tankers. It accused Kuwait and Bahrain of hosting U.S. forces and assisting in the attacks.

A U.S. blockade of Iranian ports has squeezed the state's economy by limiting its oil exports, while the American military has been helping a limited number of ships transit on a route through the Strait of Hormuz off Oman.

Tehran wants ships to follow a route that it chooses through the strait, which was considered an international waterway before the war.