Jordan under Iranian fire as Trump vows revenge for every US soldier killed

Jordan is emerging as one of the central battlefields in the expanding confrontation between the United States and Iran, absorbing repeated missile and drone attacks as Tehran seeks to inflict casualties on American forces stationed in the kingdom. The Jordanian military intercepted three Iranian missiles Monday evening after alerts were activated over the country, according to Jordan’s official news agency. No casualties or property damage were reported. The latest barrage followed days of Iranian attacks against U.S. forces in Jordan and deepened fears that the regional campaign is spreading beyond Iran and Iraq into neighboring states hosting American military personnel. At the same time, Iranian media reported fresh airstrikes near Khomein and Shiraz. Iranian officials blamed the United States, though Washington did not claim responsibility for either attack and neither location appeared in the latest target list released by U.S. Central Command. U.S. President Donald Trump responded to the deaths of American troops with an unusually explicit threat of retaliation. “Every time Iran kills an American soldier, they will pay for that killing many times over!” Trump wrote on Truth Social. He said the directive had been passed to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine and every U.S. military commander. Trump did not specify what the order included or which additional Iranian targets could be struck. Jordan becomes a primary target Iran fired four missiles toward Aqaba on Sunday. Interceptions were seen over the Israeli city of Eilat, and fragments from one interception fell in the city’s northern area. The Jordanian military said its air defenses intercepted three of the four missiles. The fourth fell in a remote, uninhabited area in southern Jordan without causing casualties or damage. Two days earlier, Jordanian fighter jets shot down four drones that had entered the kingdom’s airspace. Jordan has faced near-continuous attacks since fighting resumed between Washington and Tehran. Dozens of missiles have been launched toward the country, with Jordanian air defenses intercepting several ballistic missile barrages over the past week. Military bases hosting American forces have become major Iranian targets. U.S. officials assess that Tehran is attempting to cause American casualties in the hope of deterring Washington from broadening its campaign. The deadliest strike hit Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan, where at least two Iranian ballistic missiles landed. Two American soldiers were killed. Remains recovered at the site are being examined to determine whether they belong to a third soldier listed as missing. Since the war began, 17 American troops have been killed and approximately 430 wounded. The attack transformed Jordan from a strategic rear base for U.S. operations into an exposed frontline state. Its airspace, military installations and proximity to Israel, Iraq and the Gulf make it central to American regional operations, but also increasingly vulnerable to Iranian retaliation. Trump expands threat to Iran Even before the fatal Jordan strike, the United States had begun moving additional fighter jets and aerial refueling aircraft into the Middle East. Trump has threatened to expand the target list inside Iran to include energy facilities, bridges and underground nuclear sites. He has also not ruled out a limited ground operation to seize Kharg Island, a critical hub for Iran’s oil industry. The president said after the latest American strikes that the United States had “hit them again very hard” and that the operation had been carried out in honor of the American soldiers killed. The Trump administration is now setting both the tempo and limits of the regional campaign. Israel, meanwhile, has so far held back from initiating a separate large-scale offensive against Iran, while maintaining military readiness and a prepared target bank. Israeli officials have made clear that any broader Israeli entry into the campaign would depend heavily on Trump’s decision and U.S. strategic objectives. That calculation remains relevant as Iranian attacks spread toward Jordan, the Gulf and maritime routes, but the immediate center of gravity is the growing threat to U.S. forces and Jordanian territory.