Tehran [Iran], July 20 (ANI): Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has claimed that individuals in Jordan provided intelligence that helped it carry out attacks on US military targets in the country, according to Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency.
In a statement carried by the news agency, the IRGC asserted that the cross-border operation destroyed 20 hangars housing US forces at Jordan’s Al-Azraq Air Base, resulting in the deaths of dozens of American troops.
However, official figures released by Washington differ significantly, with US authorities maintaining that 17 American service members have been killed since the conflict began.
The IRGC also claimed that its ballistic missiles struck US C-17 transport aircraft and P-8 surveillance aircraft stationed at Aqaba Airport, causing extensive damage.
The claims came as Washington launched a fresh wave of airstrikes across Iran early Monday. The US offensive followed an official announcement confirming the death of another American service member, after which Tehran launched a volley of missiles toward neighboring Jordan.
Before Monday’s strikes, the Pentagon said its military operations were specifically targeting the IRGC in retaliation for the killing of US personnel in Jordan during Friday’s attack.
US defense officials said one service member remains missing following the attack and added that “unidentified remains” recovered on Sunday are undergoing forensic examination. The total number of US military fatalities since the outbreak of hostilities stands at 17.
The conflict, now entering its second consecutive week, has seen US fighter jets conduct strikes on key infrastructure inside Iran, including bridges and electrical facilities.
At the same time that Monday’s airstrikes began, a maritime emergency unfolded in the strategic Strait of Hormuz off the coast of Oman, where the British military reported that a commercial vessel caught fire.
While the cause of the blaze has not been determined, merchant vessels transiting the vital shipping route have been operating under US naval advisories to avoid sea lanes under Iranian control.
The IRGC later said it was deliberately targeting tankers operating within the strategic waterway.
Meanwhile, Tehran continued its retaliatory strikes against US-aligned Arab states in the region. Air defense systems in Bahrain, Jordan, and Kuwait were activated again to intercept incoming Iranian drones and missiles.
Amid the continuing hostilities, the US Embassy in Bahrain issued an emergency security advisory early Monday, warning that “Iran may seek to target unspecified locations in central Manama,” the country’s capital, though it did not provide additional operational details.
Israeli authorities also issued a regional warning, cautioning that Iranian missiles traveling toward Jordan could spark severe wildfires that might spread into Israeli territory for the first time in weeks. (ANI)
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