Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has reported that it has fired ballistic missiles at two bases in Jordan where US military personnel are stationed. According to Tehran, this was in response to a previous US strike on Larak Island in the Strait of Hormuz.
A statement released by Iranian state media on 31 August stated that the IRGC had attacked the King Hussein and Al-Azraq bases in the kingdom, which is considered one of Washington’s closest allies in the region.
The Iranian military claims that the missiles targeted “technical infrastructure, maintenance facilities and enemy fighter jet positions at the King Hussein and Al-Azraq air bases in Jordan, which are operated by the US”. According to the IRGC, they managed to inflict ‘significant damage’.
However, the IRGC often makes such claims with clear exaggeration, and it is not possible to verify the details immediately. Shortly afterwards, the Jordanian military reported that it had intercepted eight missiles which had entered the country’s airspace in the early hours of 31 August.
“Air defence systems intercepted eight missiles that violated the Kingdom’s airspace at dawn today,” reads a statement quoted by an army spokesperson.
The US strike on Larak Island on 30 August was the first known attack by US forces on Iranian targets in over a month.
A US spokesperson confirmed to Radio Free Europe that the IRGC was, at that time, observed “preparing to launch missiles equipped with sea mines into the Strait of Hormuz” from the island of Larak.
Last week, US Central Command stated that the US military had completed the clearance of international shipping lanes in the strait of sea mines and continues to monitor the situation in the area closely.
Following the latest US strike, the IRGC vowed to retaliate. In a new statement, Iranian media reported the “martyrdom and wounding of several of our fighters and compatriots” and added that the attack “will result in the aggressor being punished”. However, the IRGC did not specify the number of dead and wounded.