Iran fired missiles at a base housing U.S. forces in Jordan after a pause in attacks that began Friday, signaling the renewal of hostilities.
“At 5:45 p.m. ET today, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces launched multiple ballistic missiles from Iran in an attempted surprise attack on U.S. forces based in the Middle East. All Iranian missiles were successfully intercepted,” U.S. Central Command said in a statement. “U.S. forces remain vigilant and at a high state of readiness.”
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An Iranian missile attack against U.S. forces in Jordan on July 17 killed three U.S. soldiers, the first fatalities from direct Iranian fire since the opening days of the war.
After the U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding collapsed earlier this month, the United States launched nearly two weeks of consecutive airstrikes against Iran, which were met by drone and ballistic missile attacks against every Gulf country. These tit-for-tat attacks halted on Friday, with President Donald Trump claiming this was at the request of Iran.
“They asked us very nicely, ‘Please stop, let’s meet,’” Trump told reporters. “And that’s where we are right now, see what happens. If we don’t make a deal, we go back to the same thing.”
The sudden attack against U.S. forces in Jordan without a direct provocation is certain to enrage Trump, who is almost guaranteed to order new strikes against Iran in response.
Jordan was largely spared from the brunt of attacks early in the war, but the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has increasingly set its sights on the U.S. ally after scoring several direct hits, hinting at a weakness in the wall of U.S. air defenses.
Iranian strikes have become increasingly effective, both due to the use of more advanced missiles that can maneuver during their descent and the depletion of air defense missile stocks after months of fighting off Iranian attacks.
Danny Citrinowicz, an analyst and nonresident fellow at the Atlantic Council, speculated that Iran launched its new attack as part of its changed doctrine following the death of former Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, which prefers taking the initiative over deterrence.
“The current leadership in Iran seeks to dictate the pace of the confrontation and not merely respond to decisions made in Washington. From its perspective, an offensive initiative is a way to prove that Iran still holds the strategic initiative,” he wrote.
