The US military said it destroyed five Iranian oil tankers on Tuesday in response to the latest attacks on its warships and Tehran hit back at American targets in Jordan, the latest burst of back-and-forth strikes that have lurched the sides back towards open hostilities in a more than six-month-old war.Following the American strikes, Iran launched missiles towards US targets in Jordan, according to Iranian state-run media.Jordan’s military said its air defence systems intercepted 18 ballistic missiles launched towards its territory and two others fell in places where no one lives. It added that it had no reports of casualties.Jordan is a staunch US ally that hosts American forces, making the kingdom’s military bases a target of repeat Iranian strikes. US Central Command (CENTCOM) said it had no information to offer.Iran’s foreign ministry on Wednesday strongly condemned the US strikes on its oil tankers, describing the attacks the previous day as a threat to regional security.“The aggressive actions by the United States against Iranian commercial vessels not only increase the dangers of tensions in the region but are also considered an overt threat to regional and international peace and security,” the ministry said in a statement, adding that Iranian forces had targeted US military facilities in the region in “self-defence”.