Iran Targets US Air Base in Jordan as US Responds with Prolonged Strikes
Main Developments in the Iran-US-Jordan Conflict
By Enas Alashray, Elwely Elwelly, Tala Ramadan and Katharine Jackson
Iranian Missile Attack on US Air Base in Jordan
CAIRO/DUBAI/WASHINGTON, , July 14 (Reuters) - A U.S. air base in Jordan was targeted by Iranian ballistic missiles on Tuesday, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said, while calling on Jordanians to dismantle American bases in the kingdom.
"You know very well that not only do we not have any enmity with your country, but we also love you, the noble people, who understand the pain and oppression of the Palestinian people more than any other nation," the IRGC said in a statement carried by Fars News.
Jordan's armed forces said on Tuesday they intercepted and shot down four missiles that entered Jordanian airspace from Iranian territory, according to state news agency.
US Response: Airstrikes and Blockade
U.S. forces completed their latest wave of strikes on Iran that the U.S. Central Command began earlier in the day at the direction of President Donald Trump.
The five hours of U.S. strikes were the third consecutive night of attacks against Iran as Trump reinstated a blockade of Iranian shipping and proposed charging a 20% fee to guard the Strait of Hormuz.
Iranian media reported strikes on a number of the cities and said four people had been wounded and rescue operations were underway.
Statements from US and Iranian Officials
Trump earlier told the "Hugh Hewitt Show" on Monday that Iran would be hit "very hard tonight, and we're going to hit them hard tomorrow. And there's not a damn thing they can do about it."
The latest hostilities come after Iran said at the weekend it was closing the Strait of Hormuz, casting further doubt on an interim deal to halt the war and driving oil prices higher.
"The Hormuz Strait is OPEN, and will remain OPEN, with or without Iran. We are reinstating THE IRANIAN BLOCKADE," Trump had said earlier on Monday on Truth Social.
"The U.S.A. will be, from this point forward, known as 'THE GUARDIAN OF THE HORMUZ STRAIT', but as such, and as a matter of FAIRNESS, will be reimbursed, at the rate of 20% on all cargo shipped."
Iran's top joint military command said the U.S. had no role in determining the future of the waterway. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi wrote on X that Tehran was the guardian of the strait and would remain so "forever", adding in response to Trump: "20% is of course too much. We will be fair."
Economic Impact and Global Oil Markets
Before the conflict began in February, around a fifth of the world's oil and gas traffic passed through Hormuz daily, delivering more than 15 million barrels of fuel to global markets worth at least $1.2 billion. If the U.S. were to impose a 20% fee, it could generate around $240 million a day.
The U.N. shipping agency pushed back against Trump's proposal, saying it opposes any fees for straits used in international navigation and stressing that there is no legal basis for introducing mandatory tolls on strait transits.
Oil prices rose nearly 3% on Tuesday to their highest in four weeks, as the U.S. reimposed its naval blockade of Iran and the attacks in the Strait of Hormuz heightened uncertainty about energy flows.
Escalation in the Strait of Hormuz
UAE Reports Attacks on Oil Tankers
UAE SAYS IRANIAN MISSILES HIT TWO SHIPS IN HORMUZ
The UAE Ministry of Defense said on Monday that Iranian cruise missiles struck two Emirati oil tankers while transiting the southern lane of the strait in Omani territorial waters.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency said a tanker had been hit by an unknown projectile while travelling 40 nautical miles northeast of Oman's Qalhat.
Reuters could not immediately verify whether the UKMTO report referred to the same incident as the one reported by the UAE Ministry of Defense.
IRGC and US Navy Statements
The IRGC said two "offending" supertankers had been hit and disabled in the strait after ignoring repeated warnings and turning off navigation systems, Iranian media reported.
The IRGC's statement did not name the vessels or say whether they were the same tankers cited by the UAE ministry. But it accused the U.S. of "inciting vessels to use an illegal route" and warned that cooperation with the "aggressor enemy" would result in damage, delays in reopening the waterway and a global energy crisis.
The U.S. Navy-led Joint Maritime Information Center said a blockade of Iran would take effect at 2000 GMT on Tuesday and apply to all vessel traffic regardless of flag, covering the entire Iranian coastline including ports and oil terminals.
It said the measure would not impede neutral transit passage through the strait to or from non-Iranian destinations, and that humanitarian shipments would be permitted subject to inspection.
Broader Regional Conflict
Military Actions and Humanitarian Impact
The U.S. and Israel attacked Iran on February 28 and Iran responded with its own strikes on Israel and Gulf states that host U.S. bases. U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran and Israeli attacks on Lebanon during the war have killed thousands and displaced millions.
Additional Reporting
(Additional reporting by Menna Alaa El Din, Jonathan Saul, Enas Alashray, Ahmed Elimam, Eman Abouhassira and Andrew Mills and Kanishka Singh; Writing by Ros Russell, Hugh Lawson, Matt Spetalnick and David Morgan and Michael Perry; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan, Timothy Heritage, Sanjeev Miglani, Lincoln Feast and Thomas Derpinghaus)
