The U.S. also said it worked with Saudi Arabia to fire on Iran-backed militias in Iraq that have targeted the kingdom in recent days. The militias said at least 20 of their fighters had been killed.
The fighting came after days in which mediators said some progress had been made in negotiations to end the war, which began Feb. 28 with American and Israeli attacks on Iran.
Though the two sides signed an interim deal in June, intense bombing resumed this month over disagreements on how to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, the waterway crucial for the world’s energy supplies that Iran effectively shut during the war.
Jordan intercepts missiles and US strikes militias in Iraq
The Jordanian military said five missiles had been “intercepted and destroyed.” Iran's state-run IRNA news agency carried a statement from the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard saying the Guard’s Aerospace Force fired ballistic missiles at the Muwaffaq Salti Air Base and the headquarters of the U.S. military’s Central Command in Jordan.
Hours earlier, the U.S. Central Command said its forces “remain vigilant and at a high state of readiness.”
In announcing the strikes against militias in Iraq, the U.S. warned that further attacks on American troops or Saudi Arabia's energy infrastructure risked additional action.
Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi called an emergency meeting of the country’s National Security Council Wednesday to discuss the strikes.
Two Iraqi government officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment publicly said a visit to Saudi by al-Zaidi that had been scheduled for Thursday had been postponed, without another date being set.
Saudi Arabia says it shot down drones
Saudi Arabia said Tuesday that it shot down drones fired by Iran-backed militias in Iraq for a second day, while Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen claimed to have forced a Saudi oil tanker to turn around as part of their announced blockade of the kingdom.
On Monday, the Houthis said they had launched drones targeting oil facilities used to transport oil from Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Region to the Red Sea port city of Yanbu, a key bypass for Saudi exports blocked by Iran’s chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz. The rebels said their attack was in response to a Saudi drone that they said breached Yemen’s airspace.
Planet Labs satellite imagery from Monday analyzed by The Associated Press showed damage to Saudi Aramco’s Abqaiq oil processing facility in the kingdom’s east. The facility, the world’s largest crude stabilization plant, is a cornerstone of Aramco’s operations, with the capacity of processing approximately 7 million barrels of crude oil per day.
Attacks on Abqaiq claimed by Houthi rebels in September 2019 disrupted production of 5.7 million barrels per day, spiking global oil prices and providing an initial demonstration of the vulnerability of Saudi oil facilities to missile and drone attacks.
Separately, a regional official said an Aramco oil company refinery in Jazan, on Saudi's Red Sea coast, has temporarily shut down due to damage sustained from a Houthi attack on Saturday. The official described the damage as “relatively significant,” saying it would take several days to be repaired. The refinery produces 400,000 barrels per day.
The Texas-based IIR Energy consultancy agency said the Jazan oil processing facility shut down on Monday after initially operating at reduced rates since the attack two days earlier. Repairs and a tentative restart of the refinery were expected for Aug. 15, IIR Energy said.
Iran rejects Oman proposal for managing Strait of Hormuz
The Strait of Hormuz has been a major flashpoint in the conflict. Iran's deputy foreign minister said his country rejected a proposal by Oman, which lies on the other side of the strait, for jointly managing ship traffic through the critical waterway.
In an interview with Iran’s state-run television that aired Tuesday night, Kazem Gharibabadi said the Omani proposal included dividing the strait into two routes, each allowing the transit of 50% of shipping passing through the waterway.
The proposal failed to address Tehran’s concerns and Iran offered a counterproposal with a temporary plan for transit of vessels through Iran’s territorial waters, he said, adding that Iran’s policy is for the strait “never to return to its prewar situation.” Before the conflict, ships transited freely through the waterway.
