Multiple US fighter jets, including F-15, damaged in Iranian strikes on Jordan airbase: Report

Multiple US military aircraft were damaged in Iranian strikes that targeted Jordan’s Muwaffaq Salti Air Base overnight from Tuesday into Wednesday local time, said sources familiar with the matter, according to CBS News. 

Roughly eight F-15 fighter jets, renowned as one of the most successful modern fighter jets in history, sustained light damage and were placed back into service, the sources said on the condition of anonymity.

One A-10 Thunderbolt, known as the Warthog, was struck and was missing a wing, they told CBS News. 

No deaths were reported from the American side in the strikes.

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The latest spate of strikes came after the US Central Command (CENTCOM) targeted and destroyed five Iranian crude oil carriers in response to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)’s attack on a US Navy warship.

“CENTCOM forces destroyed five Iranian crude oil carriers, Sept. 8, after the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) targeted a U.S. Navy warship with ballistic missiles twice over the past two days”.

“The U.S. warship successfully evaded the attempted Iranian attacks and continued to patrol regional waters. No American personnel were harmed”, the CENTCOM said.

In response, Iran’s IRGC announced that it launched attacks at eight tankers and two warships, including the base in Jordan.

Renewed Confrontation Between US, Iran 

Iran on Wednesday said it had expanded a newly declared no-go zone beyond the strategic Strait of Hormuz, signalling a further escalation of its confrontation with the United States.

The IRGC said it had attacked two US vessels, eight oil tankers and 10 “non-compliant vessels” attempting to pass through the region, according to the Iranian media.

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump claimed Wednesday that the war with Iran will end “immediately” after the US midterm elections in November, arguing that Tehran “can’t hold out any longer” as the conflict enters its seventh month.

“I think the war will end immediately after the election” because Iran “can’t hold out any longer,” he told reporters.

However, the latest round of escalation between the two countries only threaten an already-volatile situation in West Asia, as maritime shipping through the vital Strait remains at a near standstill.