Tehran launched a coordinated barrage of ballistic missiles and explosive drones targeting U.S. military positions stationed in Jordan and the United Arab Emirates. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed responsibility for the strikes, framing them as a direct response to American airstrikes on Iranian territory.
According to official Iranian state media reports, the IRGC fired multiple ballistic missiles at the King Hussein and Muwaffaq Salti (Al-Azraq) air bases in Jordan, alleging that the facilities were utilized by U.S. forces to support operational flights in the Persian Gulf region. Simultaneously, the Iranian military announced it had deployed dozens of kamikaze drones targeting Al Minhad Air Base in the UAE, where U.S. personnel and aviation assets are deployed.
The Jordanian Armed Forces confirmed that its air defense systems intercepted at least eight incoming missiles over the kingdom’s airspace early Monday morning, preventing direct impacts on major installations. U.S. defense officials similarly reported that host-nation and American air defenses neutralized the incoming threats, noting that no major structural damage or U.S. casualties were reported following the retaliatory strikes.
The exchange marks a sharp escalation after U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) carried out precision strikes on Iranian rocket launchers stationed on Larak Island in the Strait of Hormuz. CENTCOM defended the operation as a preventative action to neutralize imminent threats from IRGC forces attempting to deploy naval mines along critical maritime transit corridors.
Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the American strikes on Larak Island as an unlawful act of aggression, insisting that Tehran’s retaliatory strikes against regional U.S. facilities represent an exercise of its inherent right to self-defense under international law.
