Tehran, Iran, September 9 — Iran launched retaliatory missile strikes targeting Jordan on Wednesday, hitting the Muwaffaq Salti Air Base, which is used by US forces, following an earlier US military attack on Iranian vessels.
In an official statement reported by the state-backed IRNA news agency, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said they had struck the American Al-Azraq base in Jordan with heavy missile strikes as part of what they described as a “punitive operation.”
Shortly after the barrage, the Jordanian military said its air defense network had intercepted and neutralized the incoming projectiles. According to an official army statement, Jordan’s defense systems detected 20 incoming ballistic missiles, successfully destroying 18, while two struck unpopulated areas.
The escalation follows actions by US Central Command (CENTCOM), which confirmed that American forces targeted five Iranian tankers linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps on Tuesday, Sept. 8. The action came in retaliation for repeated missile attacks against a US Navy warship over the preceding 48 hours.
CENTCOM said US forces struck four crude oil carriers in the Gulf of Oman and a fifth vessel near Kharg Island in the Persian Gulf. Officials said the targeted US warship successfully evaded the attacks, continued its regional patrol and reported no American casualties. Crews aboard the tankers were instructed to evacuate before the strikes.
During an official visit to Colombia, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned Tehran that Washington would continue to retaliate if Iranian forces target American naval assets.
Amid the escalating exchange of strikes, international energy markets reacted swiftly, pushing oil prices higher for a fourth consecutive session. Brent crude futures rose $1.57, or 1.6%, to $94.49 per barrel in early Wednesday trading.
US West Texas Intermediate crude rose $1.60, or 1.72%, to $94.63 per barrel.
In a parallel development, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards claimed to have seized an uncrewed American submarine near the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian state media identified the captured equipment as a Dive-LD, a large autonomous underwater vehicle manufactured by California-based defense contractor Anduril.
The 19-foot submersible is designed for various operations, including mine countermeasures, seabed mapping, intelligence gathering and inspection of submerged critical infrastructure such as cables and pipelines, according to the manufacturer.
Announcing the seizure through state media, the Revolutionary Guards Navy said it had trapped what it described as one of the most modern unmanned submarines operated by the US military and claimed the vessel was equipped with advanced technology.
The Pentagon disputed Iran’s account, saying an underwater drone had experienced a technical failure more than a day earlier.
A Pentagon spokesperson said the unit had been surveying regional waters in support of ongoing operations and described the defective drone as an older model that did not collect sensitive data or carry classified sonar or radar equipment. (ANI)
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