Several US military aircraft were damaged in overnight Iranian missile strikes on the Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan. The attack occurred on Wednesday and targeted American positions following earlier US military operations against Iranian vessels.

CBS News reported that an A-10 Thunderbolt attack aircraft, known as the “Warthog,” was directly hit and lost a wing. In addition, around eight F-15 fighter jets sustained minor damage. All of these aircraft were subsequently repaired and returned to service.

Despite the damage to equipment, no American casualties or fatalities were reported. The strikes were part of Iran’s retaliatory campaign after US forces targeted Iranian maritime assets.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, through the state-backed IRNA news agency, claimed responsibility for the operation, stating that they struck the American Al-Azraq base in Jordan with heavy missile fire as part of a punitive mission.

The Jordanian military confirmed that its air defence network intercepted most of the incoming missiles. According to its official statement, defence systems detected 20 ballistic missiles, successfully destroying 18, while two landed in unpopulated areas.

The escalation followed US Central Command’s confirmation that American forces had struck five Iranian tankers linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps on Tuesday, September 8. Four crude oil carriers in the Gulf of Oman and one vessel near Kharg Island in the Persian Gulf were targeted.

CENTCOM clarified that the US warship under attack in the preceding 48 hours successfully evaded the incoming missiles, continued its patrol route, and reported no casualties. Crews aboard the Iranian tankers were evacuated before the strikes.

US President Donald Trump, speaking on Wednesday before departing for a Republican midterm convention in Dallas, Texas, claimed that the war with Iran would end “immediately” after the upcoming US midterm elections. He accused Tehran of attempting to influence American voters in hopes of securing a weaker administration that would allow Iran to pursue nuclear weapons.

Trump stated, “I think the war will end immediately after the election... They’re desperate to try and affect the election so that we could get a nice, weak group of people in there and leave them alone and let them have their nuclear weapon.”

Pressed on why he believed the conflict would end so quickly after the vote, Trump argued that Tehran was running out of options. He added that Washington was not in a rush to negotiate, emphasising that recent military operations had severely weakened Iran’s position.

This latest exchange underscores the intensifying confrontation between Washington and Tehran, with Jordan caught in the middle as a host nation for US forces. The strikes highlight the vulnerability of regional bases and the growing risks of escalation across the Middle East.

ANI