Tensions Escalate in the Middle East as Iran Strikes U.S. Targets in Jordan and the Emirates

Iran has claimed responsibility for new attacks on U.S. targets in the region, launching missiles toward Jordan, including the Muwaffaq Salti air base, where U.S. forces are stationed.

According to Arab sources, during the night between Sunday and Monday, August 31, missiles were also directed toward the vicinity of Aqaba. Reports from the ground mentioned explosions in several areas of Jordan.

A U.S. official quoted by Fox News said there was no evidence of significant damage and that nearly all the missiles directed at U.S. facilities had been intercepted by defensive systems.

The Jordanian Armed Forces also announced that they had shot down eight missiles that had entered the country’s airspace.

The attack is suspected to be linked to a U.S. operation on Larak Island. Tehran claims that two missile launchers belonging to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) were destroyed during the operation.

The United States Central Command (CENTCOM) rejected Iran’s version that the intervention on the island constituted “an act of aggression.”

“This claim is absolutely false,” CENTCOM responded in a post on X. The U.S. command added that its forces had carried out “limited and precise actions” against IRGC assets which, according to Washington, posed an imminent threat in the Strait of Hormuz.

Several hours later, the IRGC Navy announced that a supertanker, which it said had violated regulations, had caught fire after striking two naval mines.

Meanwhile, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has also claimed responsibility for an attack on the United Arab Emirates.

Its statement said Iranian forces used dozens of attack drones against areas around Al Minhad air base, where U.S. helicopters and troops are stationed.

The latest developments indicate a further escalation of tensions between Tehran and Washington, as military clashes are also spreading into the territories of other Middle Eastern countries.