Iran’s Revolutionary Guards claim missile attack damaged US military aircraft at Jordan’s Aqaba Airport

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed Monday that it struck US military C-17 transport aircraft and P-8 command-and-control aircraft at Jordan’s Aqaba Airport with ballistic missiles, causing heavy damage to several of them.

The IRGC said the attack was carried out during the 21st wave of Operation Nasr 2 with intelligence provided by people in Jordan.

The statement thanked Jordanians for what it described as their cooperation, saying intelligence they provided had also enabled an earlier missile strike on US military positions in the Azraq area that “destroyed 20 facilities and killed dozens of US soldiers.”

Earlier, explosions were reported in several Iranian cities. The US Central Command (CENTCOM) later said it launched a fresh wave of strikes against Iran for a ninth consecutive night, saying the campaign aims to degrade Iranian military capabilities threatening shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.

The US has escalated attacks against Iran in recent days, with Iran retaliating with strikes targeting facilities and bases it says are used by the US military in several regional countries.

The exchange of fire between the two countries comes despite a Pakistan-brokered memorandum of understanding they signed in June to end their war and reach a lasting peace agreement.