Jordan intercepts Iranian missiles as U.S. and Saudi Arabia strike militias in Iraq
Jordanian and U.S. forces have intercepted Iranian missile attacks following a period of relative calm in the Middle East. The U.S. also conducted retaliatory strikes against Iranian-backed militia sites in Iraq after recent drone attacks on American personnel.
Why it matters
This escalation threatens regional stability and global oil supply chains, highlighting the ongoing volatility in U.S.-Iran relations.
CAIRO — Jordan's air defenses intercepted five missiles launched from Iran early Wednesday, the country's military said, hours after the U.S. military said it had knocked down an Iranian missile barrage launched against American forces in the Middle East, shattering a brief pause in fighting.
The Jordanian military said the missiles had been "intercepted and destroyed." Iran's state-run IRNA news agency carried a statement from the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard saying the Guard's Aerospace Force fired ballistic missiles at the Muwaffaq Salti Air Base and the headquarters of the U.S. military's Central Command in Jordan.
Hours earlier, the U.S. Central Command said its forces "remain vigilant and at a high state of readiness," and that they had also worked with Saudi Arabia's forces to strike sites in Iraq that Tehran-backed militias have used to launch attacks in recent days.
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