Missile alert sirens sounded Wednesday in Jordan’s port city of Aqaba as attacks across the Middle East overshadowed diplomatic efforts. Jordan’s military reported intercepting four missiles in the Iranian attack, with two others falling in uninhabited areas.
The U.S. military confirmed it had completed an 11th night of strikes on Iran. Iranian air defenses were activated near Tehran, and Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency reported explosions in several provinces including Bushehr, East Azerbaijan, Hamadan, Hormozgan, Khuzestan, and Sistan and Baluchistan. U.S. targets reportedly included aircraft hangars and drone storage sites.
These developments followed an earlier Iranian attack on a tanker in the Strait of Hormuz, which forced the crew to abandon the vessel. Iran also continued attacks against U.S. allies in the region, including Bahrain, Jordan, and Kuwait.
Earlier this week, Iranian Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni visited Pakistan, a key mediator, in an attempt to revive diplomacy and salvage an interim ceasefire deal. The conflict has increasingly focused on control of the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway for global energy supplies.
U.S. President Donald Trump expressed skepticism regarding potential diplomatic talks, stating on Tuesday that the U.S. had “no interest in meeting.” He also signaled that U.S. forces might target an area in Iran close to a site used for uranium enrichment.
Separately, Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels initiated a new front against Saudi Arabia by declaring a naval blockade of the kingdom. This action threatens the flow of global oil supplies and trade, as Saudi Arabia has been relying on a pipeline to the Red Sea to export oil while the Strait of Hormuz faces disruption.