Iran fires missiles at US sites in Jordan as tensions escalate
Iran fired missiles at S. sites in Jordan on Monday, and the United Arab Emirates said it intercepted an Iranian drone over its territorial waters, as fighting between Washington and Tehran flared again after weeks of relative calm, according to reports from Africa News, Baltimore News, and WJLA.
Jordan’s armed forces said it intercepted eight missiles that entered the country’s airspace early Monday. Iranian state television showed what it described as ballistic missiles being launched at American bases in Jordan in retaliation for S. strikes on Iranian rocket launchers near the Strait of Hormuz.
The UAE Defense Ministry said it “dealt with” an Iranian drone approaching from Iran that had been detected over Emirati waters. There were no reports of damage. The UAE Foreign Ministry called the incident a “dangerous escalation” and a violation of the country’s sovereignty, security and stability. The Defense Ministry later denied an Iranian claim that Dubai’s Al Minhad Air Base had been targeted.
The drone interception comes about two weeks after the UAE suspended all trade with Iran, saying Iranian missiles had splashed down near shipping traffic in the Persian Gulf. Iran denied responsibility for that attack.
The latest escalation follows President Trump’s announcement last week that all mines had been removed or detonated from international waters in the Strait of Hormuz. He warned that any Iranian vessel caught placing new mines would be “immediately and systematically destroyed” and said Space Force assets were monitoring the strategic waterway.
S. Central Command said its forces took “limited, precise action” Sunday against Iranian Revolutionary Guard minelaying forces that posed an imminent threat in the strait. Iran said several people were killed or wounded in the strike and vowed a decisive response to what it called military aggression.
The renewed fighting again threatens global energy shipments through the narrow passage, where oil transits had fallen to about 5 million barrels per day last week from more than 20 million before the conflict intensified.
Brent crude rose above $90 a barrel amid the heightened tensions. Trump also said the S. reached a deal to take majority control of over 65 billion barrels of Venezuela’s oil reserves, a separate development with potential implications for global energy markets.