Iran Revolutionary Guard Claims Retaliatory Strike on US-Linked Air Base in Jordan

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed it struck a US-linked air base in Jordan in retaliation for a US attack on an Iranian coastal military base.

In a statement on July 13, the IRGC said it targeted several missile depots and fuel storage facilities at Prince Hassan Air Base in Jordan. The group said the operation involved missiles and drones. The extent of any damage, and any official response from Jordan or the US, had not been confirmed.

The IRGC said the attack was a response to a US airstrike on an Iranian coastal military base. Prince Hassan Air Base has been used by US and allied forces for operations in the Middle East.

Earlier, US Central Command said on X that it launched additional airstrikes at 5 p.m. Eastern time to further degrade Iran’s ability to attack civilian mariners and commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz. It later posted that the strikes had been completed.

The targets included small IRGC fast boats believed to have been used to threaten or attack civilian vessels. The strike marked the fourth time the US military has hit Iranian military facilities since Iran resumed attacks on ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz on July 7.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement the same day that the US “barbaric attack” was a serious violation of the basic principles of the UN Charter. It said the strike had undone months of diplomatic efforts to ease tensions and build peace in West Asia.

The ministry also said the US government had openly intervened as Iran carried out what it called necessary measures in the Strait of Hormuz, restoring instability there and disrupting international commercial shipping.

Hong Min-seong, Hankyung.com reporter, mshong@hankyung.com