Amman, Jordan, July 22 (ANI): Tensions in West Asia escalated further on Wednesday as a series of missile strikes and military offensives across the region cast a shadow over talks in Pakistan aimed at salvaging a failed interim truce.
Air defense sirens sounded in the Jordanian port city of Aqaba as Washington and Tehran continued to exchange aerial bombardments.
According to the Jordanian military, four missiles launched in the Iranian strike were intercepted, while two others landed in uninhabited areas.
Meanwhile, the United States said it had concluded its 11th consecutive night of military strikes targeting Iranian assets, even as officials in Tehran sought to revive diplomatic talks through meetings hosted in Pakistan.
Eyewitness footage filmed from the nearby Israeli city of Eilat showed thick plumes of smoke rising over Aqaba. Across Iran, air defense systems were activated around the capital, Tehran. Iran’s state news agency IRNA reported explosions in several regions, including Bushehr, East Azerbaijan, Hamadan, Hormozgan, Khuzestan, and Sistan and Baluchistan.
U.S. military officials said the strikes targeted aircraft hangars and drone storage facilities.
The latest military action follows an Iranian attack on a commercial vessel in a strategic waterway on Tuesday that forced the crew to evacuate.
Tehran also continued strikes against U.S. regional allies, targeting locations in Bahrain, Jordan, and Kuwait.
Before the latest exchange of attacks, Iranian Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni held talks in Pakistan as part of a diplomatic effort to reduce tensions.
However, significant uncertainty remains over what terms could bring an end to the conflict, which has increasingly centered on control of the Strait of Hormuz, a critical maritime route for global energy shipments.
Speaking from the Oval Office on Tuesday, U.S. President Donald Trump dismissed the prospect of negotiations, saying Washington had “no interest in meeting.”
He also indicated that U.S. forces could soon target an area near one of Iran’s primary uranium enrichment facilities.
A day earlier, Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi fighters opened another front in the conflict by declaring a maritime blockade against Saudi Arabia, posing a direct challenge to international trade and global oil supplies.
With traffic through the Strait of Hormuz effectively halted, Saudi Arabia has been forced to rely on an overland pipeline network leading to the Red Sea to export its oil to international markets. (ANI)
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