According to the Jordanian military and regional reports, Iran launched ballistic missiles and drones targeting Jordan’s port city of Aqaba on Wednesday, prompting air defense intercepts whose explosions were heard in neighboring Eilat, Israel.
Iranian Missiles Intercepted Near Jordan and Israel
Jordan’s military stated that it successfully intercepted four incoming Iranian missiles and four drones during the attack on Wednesday. Two additional missiles struck uninhabited areas near the Red Sea port city of Aqaba, according to official reports. Plumes of smoke rose overhead in Aqaba, drawing visibility from the nearby Israeli port city of Eilat, where residents heard loud explosions from the aerial defense intercepts. The state-run IRNA news agency reported that the widening US air campaign struck targets in Bushehr, East Azerbaijan, Hamadan, Hormozgan, Ilam, Khuzestan, and Sistan and Baluchistan provinces, hitting aircraft hangars and drone storage sites.
Did you know? The Strait of Hormuz handles roughly one-fifth of all globally traded oil and natural gas during peacetime, making the waterway a primary focal point for ongoing maritime security operations by US Central Command.
Strait of Hormuz Shipping Security and US Blockade
US Central Command stated that its ongoing airstrikes aim to degrade Iran’s capacity to threaten commercial shipping lanes in the Strait of Hormuz. According to CENTCOM, Iran has targeted more than 30 commercial vessels traversing the international waterway over the past three months. In response to these maritime attacks, the United States restarted a blockade of Iranian ports, turning away commercial vessels engaged in trading Iranian oil. Speaking at a regional summit in the Philippines on Wednesday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio denounced the attacks. “If we create a precedent in the Middle East where a nation state can decide that they are going to control an international waterway, charge a toll and if you don’t pay them, blow up your ships, we have created a very dangerous precedent which will repeat itself in other parts of the world, including in this region,” Rubio told Southeast Asian counterparts, according to pool reports.
Rising US Casualties and Dignified Transfer Ceremony
The Pentagon and US Central Command identified the third service member killed in a July 17 Iranian attack at Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan as Sgt. Angel S. Rampersad, 28, of Ozone Park, New York. The confirmation brings the total US death toll to 18 service members since the conflict began. Earlier in the week, the Pentagon identified Tyler James Feehan, 25, of Ewa Beach, Hawaii, and Isabella Gonzales, 19, of Carrollton, Texas, as the other soldiers killed in the same strike. President Donald Trump is scheduled to attend the dignified transfer ceremony for the fallen personnel at Dover Air Base in Delaware on Wednesday at 11 a.m. local time, according to the White House public schedule. Meanwhile, a US official speaking to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity stated that the total number of wounded US personnel has grown to well over 500 troops, surpassing the official Defense Casualty Analysis System tally of 482 due to reporting system lags.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Where did the Iranian missile and drone attacks take place? Iran targeted Jordan’s port city of Aqaba, with intercepts visible from Eilat, Israel.
- How many US service members have been killed in the conflict? The death toll stands at 18 US service members following confirmation of Sgt. Angel S. Rampersad’s death.
- What is the status of the Strait of Hormuz? CENTCOM maintains that the Strait remains open to commercial shipping despite more than 30 attacks on vessels by Iran over the past three months.
Explore more Middle East conflict coverage or subscribe to our daily newsletter for real-time updates on regional security and diplomatic developments.
Worth a look