Watandar
Trusted Member
Poor innocent lamb Jordan gets a sympathetic article in prestige Western press over all the unfair attacks by evil bully aye-ranians.
Iranian missile strikes against Jordan on Thursday highlighted the difficult position the kingdom continues to find itself in even after the United States and Iran reached an agreement last month aimed at restoring calm.
Jordan has not been as aggressively targeted by Iranian missile and drone attacks as other American allies in the Middle East. But Iran’s military said Thursday that it had fired ballistic missiles at Muwaffaq Salti Air Base, a Jordanian military facility also used by U.S. forces.
The Jordanian military said that it had intercepted and shot down eight Iranian missiles that entered its territory, adding that there were no reports of casualties or damage from fallen missile debris. U.S. Central Command did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The strikes against Jordan came amid an upsurge in fighting this week, which has brought the cease-fire agreement to the verge of collapse, as Iran also targets several countries hosting American forces. Kuwait and Bahrain said they came under Iranian attack on Thursday. Both host U.S. military bases.
Jordan has close military cooperation with the United States, hosting a hub for the U.S. Air Force at Muwaffaq Salti base and nearly 4,000 American troops.
But Jordanian leaders have insisted that their country, unlike some others in the region, is not home to an independent U.S. military base and that foreign forces can only use Jordanian facilities under restrictions.
Ayman Safadi, Jordan’s deputy prime minister and minister of foreign affairs, has sought to distinguish his country’s relationship with the United States from that of some of its neighbors. He said in an interview on the country’s public broadcaster Al Mamlaka in late March that Jordan does not host foreign military bases and that any foreign forces in the country are present under the terms of defense agreements ensuring military decisions are made only with Jordan’s approval.
It is a distinction with little difference, some in Jordan have argued, as pressure has mounted in the kingdom to rethink its relationship with the United States. Increasingly, the defense agreements have turned Jordan into a target, intensifying questions raised even before the war about how much the kingdom actually benefits from them.
Iran has said its attacks on countries in the region have been aimed at U.S. military installations or locations with American troops. Gulf nations like the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar have been frequent targets.
Weeks before the war began, Mr. Safadi had assured Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, that Jordan would not serve as a launchpad for military action against his country.
Still, days before the U.S.-Israeli attack on Iran began, there was evidence of an American military buildup at the Muwaffaq Salti base in Jordan, with the number of jets there tripling and dozens of cargo planes landing at the base.
In the early weeks of the war, Jordan was repeatedly targeted. By early April, Jordan’s military said Iran had launched nearly 300 missiles and drones at its territory, most of which had been intercepted.
Regional conflicts have hurt Jordan’s economy. Jordan’s tourism industry was hit hard by the conflict with Iran
, a blow that followed a drop in visitors after Israel’s war in Gaza began in 2023.
Iranian Attacks on Jordan Highlight Kingdom’s Difficult Position
Iran’s military said it fired missiles at a Jordanian air base used by American forces. Jordan said it had intercepted missiles entering its air spaceIranian missile strikes against Jordan on Thursday highlighted the difficult position the kingdom continues to find itself in even after the United States and Iran reached an agreement last month aimed at restoring calm.
Jordan has not been as aggressively targeted by Iranian missile and drone attacks as other American allies in the Middle East. But Iran’s military said Thursday that it had fired ballistic missiles at Muwaffaq Salti Air Base, a Jordanian military facility also used by U.S. forces.
The Jordanian military said that it had intercepted and shot down eight Iranian missiles that entered its territory, adding that there were no reports of casualties or damage from fallen missile debris. U.S. Central Command did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The strikes against Jordan came amid an upsurge in fighting this week, which has brought the cease-fire agreement to the verge of collapse, as Iran also targets several countries hosting American forces. Kuwait and Bahrain said they came under Iranian attack on Thursday. Both host U.S. military bases.
Jordan has close military cooperation with the United States, hosting a hub for the U.S. Air Force at Muwaffaq Salti base and nearly 4,000 American troops.
But Jordanian leaders have insisted that their country, unlike some others in the region, is not home to an independent U.S. military base and that foreign forces can only use Jordanian facilities under restrictions.
Ayman Safadi, Jordan’s deputy prime minister and minister of foreign affairs, has sought to distinguish his country’s relationship with the United States from that of some of its neighbors. He said in an interview on the country’s public broadcaster Al Mamlaka in late March that Jordan does not host foreign military bases and that any foreign forces in the country are present under the terms of defense agreements ensuring military decisions are made only with Jordan’s approval.
It is a distinction with little difference, some in Jordan have argued, as pressure has mounted in the kingdom to rethink its relationship with the United States. Increasingly, the defense agreements have turned Jordan into a target, intensifying questions raised even before the war about how much the kingdom actually benefits from them.
Iran has said its attacks on countries in the region have been aimed at U.S. military installations or locations with American troops. Gulf nations like the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar have been frequent targets.
Weeks before the war began, Mr. Safadi had assured Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, that Jordan would not serve as a launchpad for military action against his country.
Still, days before the U.S.-Israeli attack on Iran began, there was evidence of an American military buildup at the Muwaffaq Salti base in Jordan, with the number of jets there tripling and dozens of cargo planes landing at the base.In the early weeks of the war, Jordan was repeatedly targeted. By early April, Jordan’s military said Iran had launched nearly 300 missiles and drones at its territory, most of which had been intercepted.
Regional conflicts have hurt Jordan’s economy. Jordan’s tourism industry was hit hard by the conflict with Iran
, a blow that followed a drop in visitors after Israel’s war in Gaza began in 2023.
