Jordan faces balancing act as Iranian strikes hit U.S. assets on its soil
7 reported1 unconfirmed
Iranian forces struck U.S. military assets in Jordan for the fourth consecutive day on Tuesday, according to a report from Amman. Over the weekend, Iranian missiles killed two U.S. troops on a Jordanian airbase and targeted the kingdom’s lone port and an international airport in Aqaba. The attacks have placed Jordan in a difficult balancing act, as it depends on U.S. military and economic support while trying to avoid angering Iran or creating domestic concerns. Jordanian officials have said little publicly about the Iran war, its security ties with the U.S., or the location and severity of Iranian strikes on Jordanian soil. The government has downplayed the war’s impact, depicting daily life as normal and the stability of the kingdom as unaffected. On Sunday, minutes after the U.S. Embassy warned American citizens that Jordanian authorities had evacuated the Aqaba port and airport due to a “credible threat,” Jordan denied it, and less than an hour later Iranian ballistic missiles were intercepted above the sites. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps thanked “the people and military personnel of Jordan” for “fulfilling a religious duty,” ostensibly for supplying information enabling strikes on U.S. forces at Jordan’s Azraq base, but multiple Gulf and Western security sources and Jordanian analysts discount that statement as propaganda.
What’s reported
Iranian forces struck U.S. military assets in Jordan on Tuesday for the fourth day in a row.
Over the weekend, Iranian missiles killed two U.S. troops on a Jordanian airbase and targeted the kingdom’s lone port and an international airport in Aqaba.
Annual U.S. assistance to Jordan increased from $450 million in 2003 to a record $2 billion in 2026.
There are no American-run military bases in Jordan; American personnel are present on Jordanian military bases owned and operated by the Jordan Armed Forces.
Prior to the U.S.-Iran war, there were some 3,000 U.S. troops on Jordanian soil, according to the Biden administration.
On Sunday, the U.S. Embassy issued a warning about a “credible threat” at Aqaba port and airport; Jordan denied it, and less than an hour later Iranian ballistic missiles were intercepted above the sites.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps thanked “the people and military personnel of Jordan” for “fulfilling a religious duty,” ostensibly for supplying information enabling strikes on U.S. forces at Azraq base; multiple Gulf and Western security sources and Jordanian analysts discount that statement as propaganda.
Open questions
The article does not specify the exact number of U.S. troops currently in Jordan or the full extent of damage from the Iranian strikes.
Key figures
Jawad Anani, former Jordanian foreign minister
Nabeel Ghishan, Jordanian political analyst
Mohammed, Amman shopkeeper (withheld full name)
Mohammed Abdullatif, Jordan Valley farmer
Odeh, coffee barista in Amman (withheld full name)
Amer al-Sabaileh, Jordanian analyst
King Abdullah II (mentioned as ascending to throne in 1999)
Sources: csmonitor.com
