Pentagon Withheld Three Iran Strikes in Jordan That Wounded Dozens

The Pentagon reportedly kept quiet on three separate Iranian strikes in Jordan that wounded dozens of US service members in the week leading up to Friday’s deadly attack on the Muwaffaq Salti Air Base. Officials say the silence was intentional, aimed at denying Tehran the battle-damage feedback needed to sharpen its missile and drone targeting.

What the Pentagon held back

In the week leading up to the Iranian attack Friday that killed two US soldiers and left one service member missing in Jordan, Iran carried out three other strikes against US forces in the country, injuring dozens of service members and damaging several helicopters, according to US officials speaking on condition of anonymity.

CENTCOM’s Saturday statement did not mention service members injured in the three previous attacks in Jordan last week. In statements after airstrikes against Iranian military sites, US Central Command said it was retaliating for Iran’s attacks against commercial ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz, never mentioning Iran’s strikes on bases in the region, including in Jordan.

Why the silence

Central Command is not required to release information about injured service members, especially when they quickly return to duty, a US military official said. Another official added, why would the Pentagon divulge information that could help Iran zero in on its ballistic missile and drone attacks in Jordan and other bases in the Middle East where thousands of US troops are stationed.

Central Command has also stopped announcing how many sites in Iran it hits each day for the same reason, US officials say.

Missile defense questions

Four Iranian attacks in five days aimed at US forces, including two direct hits on the air base in Jordan, wounded American service members, raising questions about whether missile defense systems either failed to intercept them or failed to spot them coming.

Secretary Rubio told reporters that a missile got through to hit the Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan, where two US soldiers were killed Friday. We shot down almost all the missiles, he said. One leaked through, hit the wrong place, and tragically, and it’s heartbreaking.

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The wider conflict

Sixteen US service members have been killed and more than 430 wounded since the war with Iran began, with the deaths of two Army soldiers in Jordan on Friday and another service member in northern Iraq bringing the total to 17.

The US and Iran have widened the scope of targets in the latest strikes and the escalation has led to broader concerns of an all-out war amid fighting for control over the Strait of Hormuz. Iran has closed the strait and the US military said it has reinstated a naval blockade of Iran.

Options market and stocks to watch

With a shooting war around the Strait of Hormuz and expanded US strikes in Iran, energy and defense names remain the most exposed corners of the tape.

• XOM: Watch for crude-linked moves if Hormuz disruption persists and tanker traffic stays throttled.
• CVX: Same setup as XOM, plus watch for headline sensitivity around any partial reopening.
• LMT: Watch for reaction on missile-defense concerns after reports Iranian missiles evaded interceptors.
• RTX: Watch for flow tied to Patriot and interceptor demand as US forces face repeated missile and drone barrages.
• USO: Watch as a proxy for any oil spike or fade tied to Hormuz and Kuwait facility strikes.

See other news for broader coverage of the conflict and market reaction.

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