Iran Fires Missiles at US Bases in Jordan After Strike

Missiles Over Jordan

Iran fired missiles toward US military targets in Jordan early on Monday, according to CNN and the BBC, in retaliation for an American strike on Iranian rocket launchers.

Jordan's armed forces said their air defence systems intercepted and destroyed eight missiles that entered the country's airspace. The military said the projectiles were neutralised.

Iranian media carried a statement from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, or IRGC, saying it had attacked the US bases of King Hussein and al-Azraq in Jordan with ballistic missiles. Iran's foreign ministry called the strikes on the bases in Jordan a "legitimate defence".

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The US Strike on Larak Island

The exchange began with a US attack on two Iranian rocket launchers on Larak Island, a small landmass off the coast of Bandar Abbas in southern Iran, sitting on the Strait of Hormuz.

Capt. Tim Hawkins, spokesperson for US Central Command, known as CENTCOM, said the military took "limited, precise action" after observing Iranian forces preparing to launch rockets and deploy sea mines into the strait. CENTCOM said on X that "Iran created the threat and the US military eliminated it to protect civilian mariners, commercial shipping, and the free flow of global commerce."

The IRGC said the strike killed two people and injured two others, and vowed "response and punishment". Iranian state media reported casualties among both Iranian forces and civilians. Tasnim news agency, which is affiliated with the IRGC, said the attack on Larak was carried out by drones.

Disputed Reports in the UAE

Iran also claimed to have targeted bases used by the US military in the United Arab Emirates. Iranian state TV said the Iranian army had struck an air base there with drones.

The UAE's Ministry of Defence denied reports that Al-Minhad Air Base had been targeted, calling them "unfounded". The UAE did confirm it shot down a drone.

A Six-Month Conflict

Both CNN and the BBC describe this as the first known exchange of attacks in weeks, and the first US strike on Iran since President Donald Trump paused a renewed military campaign in late July. It came days after Trump declared the Strait of Hormuz free from mines.

The conflict began in February, according to the BBC, and the strait has effectively been closed since, causing wild fluctuations in the price of oil. Around 20% of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas used to travel through the waterway before the war.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said in a statement quoted by state TV: "We are not seeking war, but we will deliver a decisive response to the aggressors." Hours after the US strike, Trump posted apparent AI videos on Truth Social showing oil infrastructure exploding, one captioned "Kharg Island being blown to smithereens!!!", without elaborating.