Iran has recently intensified its offensive against Jordan. In the early days of the war, other Gulf states with U.S. military bases were also targets of Iran's drone and missile attacks, but lately the focus of the attacks has shifted to Jordan.
On the 18th (local time), the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), which oversees military operations against Iran, said, "While defending against Iran's ballistic missile and drone attacks on the 17th, two U.S. service members stationed in Jordan were killed and one went missing." The location of the attack was not disclosed, but it is presumed to be Muwaffaq Salti Air Base, about 100 kilometers northeast of Jordan's capital, Amman.
According to the New York Times (NYT) on the 19th, Iran launched four attacks just last week targeting U.S. forces stationed in Jordan. The first strike hit residential facilities at King Faisal Air Base in Ma'an Governorate in southern Jordan, injuring five U.S. troops, and the second strike hit a Black Hawk helicopter operating base in eastern Jordan, damaging several helicopters. The third attack targeted Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Azraq, northeast of Amman, injuring about 20 U.S. troops, and on the 17th Iran struck the same base again, ultimately killing two U.S. service members.
Iran's intensifying offensive against Jordan stems from Jordan's growing role in U.S. military operations compared with other countries in the Middle East that host U.S. troops. The United States and Jordan have long cooperated in military, intelligence, and counterterrorism fields, and Jordan hosts key U.S. air bases. A recently released U.S. congressional report says about 4,000 U.S. troops are stationed in Jordan.
Moreover, the United States and Jordan signed a Defense Cooperation Agreement (DCA) in 2021 that allows U.S. forces to freely use multiple military facilities in Jordan. As other U.S. allies in the Gulf, including Saudi Arabia, say they will not allow use of their airspace and U.S. bases, thereby restricting U.S. deployments and airspace access, Jordan's strategic value—where there are few constraints on operating military assets and troops—has grown even greater.
Military cooperation between the United States and Jordan has further strengthened since the war with Iran. U.S. officials said that during preparations and in the early phase of the war, the U.S. Department of Defense redeployed some forces stationed in Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Qatar to the relatively safer Jordan and neighboring Israel, increasing U.S. reliance on Jordan.
Amid this trend, bilateral military cooperation has grown even closer. Earlier, Jordan's state-run Petra news agency reported that Jordanian Armed Forces Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Yousef Huneiti and U.S. Ministry of National Defense Deputy Minister for International Security Daniel Zimmerman discussed expanding military and defense cooperation and partnership between the two countries.
Omid Memarian, an Iran analyst at the U.S. Middle East think tank "DAWN," said that Iran's retaliatory attacks will make Gulf states "far more hesitant than before to allow the United States to use their military bases extensively for anti-Iran operations," but added, "Jordan is in a difficult position to refuse U.S. requests because of its security agreement with the United States and the bilateral relationship in which the United States holds the upper hand."
In the end, from Iran's perspective, Jordan—which supports U.S. military operations—has emerged as a prime target. Retired U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. David Deptula told the NYT, "Thanks to Jordan's geographic location, the United States has been able to conduct more efficient air operations not only in Syria and Iraq but across the Middle East," adding, "Iran's attacks on Jordan are not simply aimed at bases but are an attempt to shake the U.S.-built regional coalition and to make countries feel that the political expense of hosting U.S. forces outweighs the security benefits."