Multiple American military aircraft sustained damage overnight following an Iranian ballistic missile strike on the Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan, U.S. officials confirmed. The regional flare-up coincides with assertions by President Donald Trump that the ongoing conflict will reach an immediate conclusion following the upcoming midterm elections.
The attack on the Jordanian airbase damaged roughly eight U.S. F-15 fighter jets and struck an A-10 Thunderbolt II, which lost a wing. U.S. forces deployed over 30 Patriot missiles to counter the assault. Defence officials reported no U.S. fatalities from the strike, which served as retaliation after American military operations targeted five Iranian crude oil tankers. Tehran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed responsibility, stating the offensive targeted multiple regional assets.
Addressing reporters before travelling to a Republican campaign convention, President Trump framed the hostilities within the context of domestic political dynamics. He stated that Iranian leadership is intentionally stalling peace efforts to influence American voters.
"I think the war will end immediately after the election, because they can't hold out any longer," President Trump told reporters, according to CBS News. "They're desperate to try and affect the election so we can get a nice, weak group of people in there and leave them alone and let them have their nuclear weapon".
Despite predicting an imminent resolution after November, President Trump noted that Washington is not actively pursuing diplomatic negotiations. "We're not looking for it, to be honest," he added. "We're so far down the line, they have very little country left right now".
The tit-for-tat strikes represent a sharp escalation along critical Middle Eastern maritime routes, pushing Brent crude oil prices near $100 per barrel. Simultaneously, Iranian-backed Houthi forces seized the strategic Red Sea port of Mokha in Yemen, further threatening international transit through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
