Iran Escalates Retaliation Against US with Base Strike and Strait of Hormuz Attacks
Iran has escalated its retaliation against the US, hitting a base in Jordan and ships in the Strait of Hormuz. The Iranian Revolutionary Guard (IRGC) fired ballistic missiles at a USS-used base near Al Azraq in Jordan and attacked 10 ships in the Strait of Hormuz earlier today.
The escalation also hit Saudi Arabia's oil infrastructure: Iran-backed Houthi forces attacked four southern cities yesterday, striking oil facilities in Abha, Najran, and Jazan and setting installations ablaze. The Houthis had claimed a drone strike on the refinery earlier last month.
Riyadh is facing pressure at both ends of its oil-export map: Tehran plans to announce a new restricted maritime zone outside Hormuz in the coming days, beginning at the line of the US naval blockade and extending into parts of the Gulf. Any vessel entering the zone would be added to Iran's sanctions list.