Iran Fires 20 Ballistic Missiles at U.S. Base in Jordan; 18 Intercepted
Iran's IRGC launched 20 ballistic missiles at a U.S. military base in Jordan Tuesday. Jordanian air defenses destroyed 18; the fate of two unintercepted missiles is unconfirmed.
Developing story — this page will be updated as information becomes available.
AMMAN — Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps fired approximately 20 ballistic missiles at a United States military base in Jordan early Tuesday, according to Al Jazeera’s live war blog. Jordan’s armed forces confirmed their air defense systems destroyed 18 of the 20 incoming missiles, according to Jordanian state media.
What We Know
Jordan’s military announced via state media that its air defenses intercepted and destroyed 18 of 20 Iranian ballistic missiles, as reported by Middle East Eye. The IRGC framed the strike as a response to U.S. military attacks on Iranian oil tankers earlier Tuesday.
The attack arrives hours after the U.S. military struck multiple IRGC-linked crude oil tankers following Iranian missile launches against American Navy warships in the Gulf. Those strikes are covered in our earlier breaking report. Separately, the IRGC issued a warning urging tanker crews in Kuwait and Bahrain to evacuate their vessels, according to Al Jazeera, indicating the regime intends to broaden its targeting.
Iranian semi-official media also reported that Iranian air defenses downed a U.S. MQ-1 drone over the Strait of Hormuz, though no U.S. military confirmation of that loss has appeared in available reporting.
What We Don’t Know
The specific U.S. base in Jordan that was targeted has not been identified in available reports. Casualty figures, structural damage, and the disposition of the two missiles that were not intercepted remain unconfirmed. U.S. Central Command has not issued a public statement addressing the Jordan attack as of this writing. This is a developing situation.
Context
Jordan is a close U.S. treaty partner and hosts several American military installations used to support regional operations. Ballistic missile strikes on Jordanian territory represent a significant geographic expansion of the current exchange, which had been concentrated in the Gulf. Jordan’s air defenses previously helped intercept Iranian missiles transiting its airspace during the April 2024 Iranian barrage against Israel, but Tuesday’s attack appears to have targeted Jordanian soil and a U.S. facility directly.
The IRGC’s decision to strike a U.S. base in a neighboring Arab state rather than confine retaliation to the Gulf or Iraq marks a new threshold. Jordan’s government has not yet issued a formal statement characterizing the attack as of this writing.
What to Watch
- U.S. Central Command statements on casualties, physical damage at the targeted Jordan base, and whether a retaliatory response is ordered.
- Jordan’s formal diplomatic and military response, including whether Amman invokes its defense relationship with Washington.
- Confirmation on the two unintercepted missiles: whether they struck the target and what damage, if any, resulted.
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