Jordan Intercepts Iranian Missiles as US, Saudi Strike Iraq Militias
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- Jordan's military said its air defenses intercepted five ballistic missiles fired by Iran's Revolutionary Guard Aerospace Force at the Muwaffaq Salti Air Base and U.S. Central Command headquarters in Jordan early Wednesday.
- U.S. and Saudi fighter aircraft struck multiple militia logistics and weapons sites in eastern Iraq in response to more than 30 IRGC-directed drone attacks in the prior 72 hours, with the Popular Mobilization Forces reporting at least 20 fighters killed and 32 wounded.
- Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi convened an emergency National Security Council meeting Wednesday to address the strikes, while the Iraqi military pledged not to let its territory be used as a launch point for attacks on neighboring countries.
- Iran's Revolutionary Guard Navy claimed it struck and stopped three oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz — the chokepoint through which 20% of globally traded oil normally flows — after the vessels allegedly ignored repeated warnings, though no independent confirmation has emerged.
- Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen announced a blockade of Saudi shipping and claimed to have fired missiles at the Saudi oil tanker NCC Ghazal in the Red Sea, forcing it to turn back; the U.K. Maritime Trade Operations Center separately reported a tanker hearing explosions in the southern Red Sea.
- The Pentagon has asked a skeptical Congress for additional funding as four U.S. troops have died in the recent weeks of fighting, according to the article.
Why it matters: The pause that followed weeks of Strait of Hormuz escalation has collapsed: Iran is now firing ballistic missiles at CENTCOM's doorstep in Jordan while its proxies disrupt tanker traffic in two of the world's most critical oil shipping corridors simultaneously. With 20% of traded oil moving through Hormuz and a Houthi blockade targeting Saudi Red Sea shipping, the military exchange now carries direct supply-chain exposure for global energy markets and adds urgency to the Pentagon's already difficult funding ask on Capitol Hill.
