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Jordan bases questioned
A senior US official told Israel’s Channel 12 that Washington had no information indicating missiles were launched toward US bases in Jordan, saying, “At this stage, we are unaware of any missiles being launched toward US bases in Jordan,” after an Israeli report claimed Iran targeted a US base in the country.
“At this stage, we are unaware of any missiles being launched toward US bases in Jordan”
The same Channel 12 report, cited by Iran International, quoted the official saying, “At this stage, we are not aware of any firing at American bases in Jordan,” following Arab media reports of Iranian missile interceptions over Jordan.
The Anadolu Ajansı report also tied the claim to Jordan’s earlier statement that 13 Iranian ballistic missiles entered the kingdom’s airspace on Sept. 2, with 10 intercepted and three falling in remote areas without causing casualties.
In the background of the missile dispute, Iran International described Britain’s handling of Bank Melli’s London operation, saying the temporary permission from the British Treasury expires on October 22.
The dispute over whether US bases in Jordan were targeted unfolded alongside the broader sanctions campaign described as Operation Economic Outcast, with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announcing it on August 24.
Escalation across the Gulf
As the US and Iran traded claims of attacks, the Institute for the Study of War said the Iranian Artesh conducted a missile and drone attack targeting US bases in Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates on September 3, “likely as part of the regime’s efforts to raise the costs of the US campaign against Iran.”
ISW-CTP said the Artesh stated it targeted satellite communications systems, equipment warehouses, and fighter aircraft hangars at Ahmad al Jaber Air Base in Kuwait, and troop positions and radar installations at al Minhad Air Base in the UAE.
The Guardian reported that Iran’s military targeted US bases in the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait “despite threats of further strikes by the US president,” and quoted an Iranian statement carried by state television about attacks on Ahmad al-Jaber and Al Minhad air bases.
In Kuwait, the Guardian said Kuwait’s ministry of defence stated its air defences had intercepted missile and drone attacks during a “blatant Iranian aggression,” while the Kuwait Armed Forces posted on X that “If explosion sounds are heard, they are the result of air defense systems intercepting the hostile attacks.”
The Morning Call framed Jordan’s role as a driver of risk, saying Jordan’s alliance with the US has made the kingdom “a target for repeat Iranian strikes,” and quoted King Abdullah II telling European lawmakers, “We are living through wave after wave of disruption, without pause.”
Sanctions and deterrence
The CBS News report said Vice President JD Vance was “extremely skeptical” that the U.S. hit a wedding party while carrying out strikes on Iran that Tehran claims killed at least 18 people throughout the country, and it added that a U.S. official confirmed no military facilities in the Middle East where Americans are based were impacted after Iran claimed it targeted US forces in Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates.
“I wouldn't call it a war.”
In parallel, NBC News described Tehran attacking American bases across the Middle East after a U.S. strike was alleged to have hit a home hosting a wedding event, and it quoted President Donald Trump saying, “It was a very heavy attack last night, and we’re prepared to do another one any time we want.”
The Guardian linked the military back-and-forth to sanctions pressure, quoting Israel’s defence minister Israel Katz warning that economic pressures could lead Tehran to escalate to more “extreme measures,” and it also quoted Katz saying, “We will strike all of Iran’s national military and civilian infrastructure – including energy infrastructure – and push Iran deep back into the stone age.”
Iran International’s account of Operation Economic Outcast described Bank Melli as a central target, saying Bessent said Bank Melli’s foreign branches “must be shuttered and dark,” and it described the London operation as continuing under a temporary permission that expires on October 22.
Across the reports, the stakes were framed as both military access and financial lifelines, with ISW-CTP describing attacks on US bases in Kuwait and the UAE and Iran International describing how Britain’s sanctions route could determine whether Bank Melli’s London banking license remains in place.