Tehran, Sep 2026 : Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said early Wednesday that its aerospace forces had launched an attack on a US air base in Jordan, describing the operation as retaliation for what it called recent “aggressive” American strikes against Iranian oil tankers.
In a statement, the IRGC claimed its forces targeted Al-Azraq Air Base in Jordan, where it alleged US fighter aircraft are maintained and deployed. The Iranian force said the operation struck a hangar used for the maintenance, repair, preparation and deployment of US F-35, F-16 and F-15 fighter jets, along with a shelter for fighter aircraft.
The IRGC claimed the attack caused “heavy damage” to the US military infrastructure at the base. The assertion could not be independently verified.
Jordan’s military, meanwhile, said its air defence systems intercepted and destroyed 18 of 20 Iranian ballistic missiles launched towards the country, according to reports. The remaining two missiles landed in unpopulated areas, causing no casualties, authorities said.
The Iranian attack came shortly after the US military announced that it had destroyed five Iranian crude oil tankers following two alleged ballistic missile attacks by the IRGC against an American warship.
US Central Command (CENTCOM) said the strikes against the tankers were conducted on Tuesday in the Gulf of Oman and near Iran’s Kharg Island, a major centre for the country’s oil exports. The US warship successfully evaded both missile attacks, which allegedly took place over the preceding two days. No US personnel were injured.
CENTCOM identified four of the tankers targeted in the Gulf of Oman as M/T Kaviz, M/T Charminar, M/T Horizon 1 and M/T Riesco. A fifth vessel, M/T Derya, was attacked near Kharg Island.
According to CENTCOM, US forces instructed the tanker crews to abandon the vessels before carrying out the strikes, rendering the ships inoperable. No casualties among the crews were reported.
The US military described the tankers as crude oil carriers operated by the IRGC and alleged that they were part of a multibillion-dollar network used to generate funds for Iran’s military organisation and its regional proxy groups.
CENTCOM did not identify the American warship allegedly targeted by Iran or disclose where the missile attacks took place. It also did not specify how many ballistic missiles were fired.
The latest exchange marks a sharp escalation in direct military confrontation between Iran and the United States and represents the second US operation against Iranian oil tankers within four days. On September 5, CENTCOM said American forces had destroyed three Iranian crude oil carriers following alleged IRGC attacks targeting a US aircraft carrier and a guided-missile destroyer.
The developments have heightened concerns over a broader regional escalation involving Iran, US military assets and countries hosting American forces in the Middle East.
(Disclaimer :The content of this article is sourced from a news agency and has not been edited by the Mavericknews30 team.)
