Iran Strikes US Bases in Jordan After Larak Island Attack
Iran fired ballistic missiles at two US-operated airbases in Jordan — all eight intercepted, Amman said — in retaliation for America’s strike on Larak Island rocket launchers that were, per Central Command, preparing to fire sea mines into the Strait of Hormuz. The IRGC said two of its soldiers were killed. Iranian state television reported a supertanker ablaze after hitting two mines; Iran separately claimed a drone attack on a UAE base, which the Emirates denied. It is the first direct exchange in a month.
The month-long lull is over, and the sequence shows both sides operating from worn scripts: a “limited, precise” American strike, a named Iranian retaliation — “Punishment of the Aggressor” — calibrated to be intercepted, and honour declared served. The dangerous novelties sit at the edges: mines apparently now in the water with a tanker burning, Iran reportedly charging $2m per transit past Larak, and the president posting AI-generated videos of an island being destroyed — theatrical deniability meeting actual ordnance. Striking bases in Jordan and allegedly the UAE drags the Gulf hosts precisely where they have spent six months trying not to stand. The corridor diplomacy of last week looks suddenly quaint. Watch whether the tanker fire is independently confirmed — and whether “limited” survives the week.