ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on Wednesday said it struck "two American vessels and eight oil tankers," as well as announcing separate strikes on US forces in Jordan, in retaliation for US attacks on Iranian ships.

“In response to the aggression and mischief of the US terrorist army's attack on 5 Iranian oil tankers in the Persian Gulf, the heroic IRGC Navy targeted two US vessels and eight oil tankers in the region, inflicting significant damage,” the IRGC said in a statement.

“The IRGC's Aerospace Force, in a punitive operation codenamed "Ya Ali, the Brave," struck the American Al-Azraq base in Jordan with heavy missile strikes,” it added.

Another 10 ships accused of violating Iranian regulations in the waterway after being “incited and supported” by the US were also targeted, according to the statement.

"The Strait of Hormuz is under the vigilant and capable control of the powerful and valiant Naval Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps," the IRGC said.

Jordan, which has emerged as a key target for Iran on account of the US military presence in the country, was targeted with ballistic missile strikes, with Amman announcing that 18 of 20 incoming projectiles were intercepted by air defense systems.

The strikes were in retaliation to US forces destroying five Iranian ships, which US Central Command (CENTCOM) said came after the IRGC “targeted a US Navy warship with ballistic missiles twice over the past two days.”

Iran has shut the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway through which roughly 20 percent of the world’s oil is transported, as part of its war against the US and Israel, contributing to a sharp rise in oil prices. The US has responded by imposing a naval blockade on Iranian ports, which Trump has said costs Iran $500 million a day.

Hostilities between the US and Iran flared in early September when CENTCOM announced that it was hitting IRGC targets in Iran following its alleged attempts to attack commercial ships.

The strikes were followed by a series of Iranian airstrikes targeting US interests across the Middle East, including the Kurdistan Region, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Jordan.

Iran’s security chief Mohsen Rezaei on Sunday said a new “restricted zone” outside the Strait of Hormuz is set to be announced “in the coming days.”