Iran posted a video of firing a series of missiles targeting the US base in Jordan in response to the enemy's raid on the same day.
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) this morning announced that it had conducted "a large-scale attack with ballistic missiles targeting US RQ-4 and MQ-9 long-range unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) hangars at Prince Hassan air base in Jordan".
This force claimed that the attack "destroyed several UAVs, killing pilots and technicians". Video released by IRGC on the same day showed 4 missiles launched one after another at night and headed towards the target. "After the attack, you are still evacuating wounded soldiers. You have received the message. This is just a warning," IRGC said.
The long-range UAV RQ-4 Global Hawk is manufactured by the American corporation Northrop Grumman, has a maximum speed of 630 km/h, a flight ceiling of 18,000 m, can operate continuously for more than 34 hours, and is equipped with synthetic aperture radar systems and modern electro-optical-infrared reconnaissance. Each has a factory price of about 130 million USD, not including development costs and advanced reconnaissance equipment.
Central Command (CENTCOM), the agency in charge of US military operations in the Middle East, has not commented on the information.
The Jordanian army announced that it had intercepted 10 out of 13 missiles launched by Iran into the country, the remaining three fell in open areas. "The incident was handled in accordance with established operational procedures. Fortunately, no casualties were recorded," Jordan's Ministry of Defense said.
Iranian officials accused the US military on September 1 of attacking a building holding a wedding in the city of Sirik in Hormozgan province, southern Iran. Ahmad Nafisi, deputy governor of Hormozgan province, said that the incident left four people dead, including a child, and 50 injured.
The IRGC said that the US carried out the attack because it "did not have the ability to directly confront the Iranian armed forces", calling on Jordan to stop allowing its territory to be used to launch "such brutal actions".
CENTCOM on September 1 announced the launch of a new round of raids targeting targets in Iran, declaring this operation to prevent the possibility of Tehran laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz. President Donald Trump then warned that Iran would be "completely wiped out" if it responded to the US attack.
In July, IRGC launched missiles and UAVs at King Faisal and Prince Hassan military airports in Jordan, claiming to hit the hangar for F-15 heavy fighters, and destroyed 8 MQ-9 Reaper reconnaissance UAVs gathered in the warehouse, as well as causing two UAVs and two heavy helicopters to be seriously damaged.
According to aviation security expert Alexandru Hudisteanu, similar escalations of tension between the US and Iran are likely to reoccur, because the conflict has not been resolved on the battlefield and the two sides still have reasons to continue fighting.
"The US wants to show that Iran does not completely control the Strait of Hormuz and cannot decide who can pass through the strait," he told Al Jazeera.
In recent months, diplomatic efforts to end the conflict in the Middle East have been unsuccessful. The fiercest phase of fighting ended after a ceasefire in April, but the two sides still clashed around the Strait of Hormuz, making the prospects of reaching an agreement dim.
In recent weeks, the Trump administration has prioritized "economic war" over military action. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on August 24 announced the "Economic Isolation Campaign" targeting Tehran, with the goal of "cutting off all lifelines" and suffocating Iran's economy with financial measures targeting this country and its partners.
