Iran Says It Struck US Base in Jordan as Tensions Escalate
Iran says the missile attack on Al-Azraq base was retaliation for a US strike on an Iranian tanker, while Jordan says it intercepted 18 of 20 missiles launched from Iran
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) — Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said Wednesday that it launched a heavy missile strike against a US military base in Jordan in retaliation for an American attack on an Iranian tanker, as Tehran expanded its threats against US-linked targets across the region.
The IRGC said it had targeted the American Al-Azraq air base in Jordan in what it described as a “punitive operation,” Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency reported.
Jordan’s military, however, said its air defenses intercepted the majority of Iranian missiles launched toward the kingdom. The army said its forces engaged 20 ballistic missiles and successfully destroyed 18 of them, while two missiles fell in unpopulated areas.
The Jordanian military said the missiles were launched from Iran and were directed toward Jordanian territory.
The exchange marks a further escalation in the widening confrontation between Iran and the United States, with Tehran increasingly threatening US military facilities and regional states that it accuses of supporting Washington.
Iran threatens tankers in Kuwait and Bahrain
Hours before the reported missile attack on Jordan, Iran warned oil tankers operating from ports in Kuwait and Bahrain that they could become targets in retaliation for US strikes on Iranian vessels.
The IRGC urged crews aboard oil tankers in the two Gulf countries to leave their vessels, warning that ships would be targeted because Kuwait and Bahrain host US forces and, according to Tehran, are cooperating with Washington.
“We warn all oil tankers in the Kuwaiti and Bahraini ports to leave their vessels because they will be targeted,” the IRGC said in a statement carried by IRNA.
The warning raises further concerns for commercial shipping and energy markets in the Gulf, particularly given the strategic importance of Kuwait and Bahrain to regional oil exports and US military operations.
US strike on tanker precedes Iranian retaliation
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Tuesday that Iran’s attempts to target US naval vessels would trigger further attacks on Iranian tankers. “Iran continues to try to hit US 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 during a visit to Colombia.
Iranian media reported Tuesday that a US missile had struck a small Iranian tanker near Kharg Island, a major Iranian oil-export hub.
Tasnim news agency reported that the tanker was hit about four miles from Kharg Island after being targeted by a projectile fired by US forces operating in the area. The report said there were no casualties.
The incident was cited by Iranian authorities as the basis for their subsequent threats against US military installations and commercial shipping linked to countries hosting American forces.
The latest developments come amid heightened tensions between Washington and Tehran, with attacks involving missiles, drones and maritime targets increasing the risk of a broader regional escalation.