Amman: Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps launched missile and drone attacks on U.S. military bases in Jordan, targeting 21 additional military locations across the Gulf in response to recent U.S. actions around the Strait of Hormuz. This confrontation is the most significant since the ceasefire agreement between the two nations in April.
According to Thai News Agency, the Iranian operation followed a four-hour U.S. military assault on approximately 20 Iranian defense systems, including facilities on the island of Qeshm and the port of Siriq. U.S. President Donald Trump described the attack as a decisive response after an Iranian drone damaged a U.S. Apache helicopter, though Iranian state media refuted claims of any air missions within the preceding 24 hours.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed it struck multiple targets within the U.S. Al-Azraq air base in Jordan, including fighter jet hangars and a command center. Iran's government warned of further retaliation if U.S. attacks persisted. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi advised the U.S. to exit the region if it sought security, promising to respond to any threats.
The Jordanian military reported successfully intercepting all five Iranian missiles before they reached their targets, with debris landing in Jordan but causing no injuries or property damage. Concurrently, the Kuwaiti military intercepted a suspicious aerial object and issued a public safety alert, following Iran's claim of a drone strike on the Ali al-Salem air base in Kuwait and earlier assaults on the U.S. Fifth Fleet in Bahrain.
This escalation undermines prospects for negotiations to resolve the conflict that began on February 28th with a joint U.S.-Israel offensive against Iran. Iran's retaliatory actions, including attacks on Gulf nations hosting U.S. bases and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global shipping channel for oil and gas, further complicate peace efforts.