The New York Times published a report by its correspondent Raja Abdul Rahim from Amman, in which she said that Jordan has been, for almost three decades, an important base for American military operations throughout the Middle East.
Now, Jordan is paying the price, as Iran has intensified its attacks against the kingdom in recent days, targeting US military forces stationed there.
However, despite the air raid sirens blaring in Jordanian airspace, the kingdom refrained from restricting the American presence. Analysts say the country's exceptional dependence on the United States prevented any reduction in those military activities.
Now Jordan is paying the price, as Iran has intensified its attacks against the kingdom in recent days, targeting US military forces stationed there.
Jordan has become reliant on the United States for billions of dollars in economic and military aid, assistance provided over decades of close relations, as well as for protection in a volatile region. Last year, the United States provided the kingdom with $1.65 billion in economic and military aid, according to Jordanian officials.
While some of America’s other allies in the region have restricted Washington’s ability to deploy troops on their soil or fly aircraft in their airspace during a war with Iran, U.S. officials say Jordan is not in a position to impose such restrictions.
Sean Yom, a professor of political science at Temple University and author of “Jordan: Politics in a Crucible Formed by Accident,” comments: “Jordan is a weak state in the Middle East. It is relatively small and surrounded by regional threats. It needs some kind of great power sponsor or external protector, and the United States has played that role for several generations now.”
He added that the aid Jordan receives from the United States, which dates back to the 1950s, is so substantial that it would be difficult for any other party to provide it.
Since the United States and Israel launched their war against Iran in late February, Iran has responded in part by launching strikes targeting America’s allies in the Middle East.
During the first months of the war, Iran primarily targeted Israel and US allies in the Gulf region, but also directed hundreds of drones and missiles toward Jordan.
The conflict quickly damaged Jordan's tourism sector, which contributes up to 18% of the country's revenue, just as the peak tourist season was beginning. Although most of the missiles and drones were intercepted, airlines canceled flights and potential visitors canceled their hotel reservations.
Now, with the collapse of the ceasefire agreement between the United States and Iran, both sides have intensified their attacks, and Iran has broadened the range of its targets in recent weeks. The Jordanian military announced that its air defenses shot down three Iranian missiles on Sunday, while a fourth landed in an unpopulated area.
Iran recently stated that some of its strikes against Jordan targeted fuel tanks at the Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Azraq, a US Air Force operations center, and aircraft hangars at other bases, according to the semi-official Iranian news agency Fars. Iran had previously announced that it targeted radar and communications systems used by US forces.
Two American soldiers were killed and a third went missing on Friday in an Iranian attack targeting the Muwaffaq Salti Air Base. Three other attacks targeting US forces in Jordan earlier that week injured dozens of American soldiers and damaged several Black Hawk helicopters.
US forces have long operated from Jordanian air bases, with the kingdom serving as a hub for American military activities including the war against ISIS, the training of opposition fighters during the Syrian civil war, and the invasion of Iraq. There are currently approximately 4,000 US military personnel in the country, according to a congressional report.
The “Muwafaq Salti” base and other bases were prepared to accommodate a permanent American presence.
In this context, Grant Rumley, a former Middle East adviser at the Pentagon and now a senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, said: “Jordan’s infrastructure has been very strong and robust from an American perspective for a long time,” likening it to a “land-based aircraft carrier.”
Romley added that the Muwaffaq Salti base also benefits from its relatively remote location, allowing US forces to operate without attracting unwanted attention. And because Jordan is farther from Iran than the Gulf states, US forces stationed there have more time to respond to missile and drone attacks.
Jordan has not publicly criticized the United States regarding its airstrikes against Iran or its involvement in the war alongside Israel.
US officials stated that in the lead-up to the war with Iran, and in its early days, the US military moved some of its forces from several Gulf Arab states to relatively safer locations in neighboring Jordan and Israel.
Jordanian officials frequently emphasize the strategic importance of their country's relationship with the United States. In a phone call with President Trump in April, King Abdullah II stressed Washington's pivotal role in the Middle East, particularly regarding prospects for de-escalation in the conflict with Iran.
The Jordanian government rarely speaks publicly about the extensive US military presence in the country. Nor has Jordan publicly criticized the United States for its airstrikes against Iran or for fighting alongside Israel, although analysts note that the government has strongly opposed the conflict from the outset.
Jordanian officials have repeatedly condemned Iranian attacks targeting Jordanian territory. Last week, Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi stated that Iran's justification for the strikes—the presence of US bases—was a false claim.
Safadi said during his participation in a panel discussion at the Aspen Security Forum: “There are no American bases in Jordan. We have American forces present in the Kingdom as part of our long-term military cooperation, and their presence is subject to a defense agreement that fully respects our sovereignty.”
Sean Yom noted that there are no actual or significant demands in Jordan calling for abandoning reliance on the United States.
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