# Iran launches missiles at Jordan and Bahrain, putting U.S. partner bases on the firing line

*Monday, July 13, 2026 at 4:06 AM UTC — Hamer Intelligence Services Desk*

**Published**: 2026-07-13T04:06:15.403Z (3h ago)
**Category**: conflict | **Region**: Middle East
**Importance**: 8/10
**Sources**: OSINT
**Permalink**: https://hamerintel.com/data/articles/10943.md
**Source**: https://hamerintel.com/summaries

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**Deck**: Iran has fired multiple ballistic missiles toward Bahrain and Jordan, with regional reports pointing to at least four aimed at Bahrain and six targeting Jordan’s Muwaffaq Salti airbase. The salvos put U.S.-linked facilities in two key partner states directly under threat, widening the map of countries forced to absorb Iran’s response to American strikes.

Ballistic arcs from Iran are now stretching toward more than one U.S. partner at a time, with fresh missile launches reported against both Bahrain and Jordan in a single night. For the governments in Manama and Amman, the message is that hosting U.S. forces and supporting Western operations now carries a very visible cost.

Regional monitoring channels reported at least four ballistic missiles launched from Iran toward Bahrain, followed by heavy explosions and accounts of multiple direct impacts in the country. These reports align with other claims of Iranian strikes on U.S.-linked targets in Bahrain, including the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet headquarters and Sheikh Isa Air Base, though the exact allocation of missiles across specific targets remains unclear. The number of impacts cited — five to six — suggests a coordinated volley rather than a single symbolic shot.

Almost in parallel, observers tracked at least two ballistic missiles launched from near Khomeyn in western Iran, followed by indications that a total of at least six missiles were heading toward Jordan. The reported target: Muwaffaq Salti Air Base, a key facility in eastern Jordan long used by U.S. and allied air forces for operations over Iraq, Syria and beyond. As with Bahrain, there was no immediate, detailed public confirmation from Jordanian authorities or the United States about hits, damage or casualties, leaving early reporting focused on launch locations and trajectories more than outcomes.

For civilians in Bahrain and Jordan, the technical debate over target sets offers little comfort. In Bahrain, a compact island with limited depth and densely populated areas, even precise military targeting can spill shockwaves, debris and fear into residential neighborhoods. In Jordan’s sparsely populated east, Muwaffaq Salti sits away from major cities, but the symbolism matters: Jordan has worked to maintain a careful balance in its regional diplomacy, and missile strikes aimed at its soil move it visibly onto Iran’s list of pressure points.

From a military perspective, Tehran’s decision to fire on both Bahrain and Jordan in the same window of time demonstrates two things. First, Iran appears willing to accept the risk of drawing multiple U.S.-aligned states into a more confrontational stance rather than confining its response to one front. Second, the regime is prepared to expend relatively scarce ballistic missiles not only on coastal or nearby Gulf targets but also on more distant bases that play key roles in Western air operations.

For the United States, its Gulf and Levant basing architecture is now being stress-tested in real time. Bases like Muwaffaq Salti and facilities in Bahrain underpin operations across Iraq, Syria and the Gulf; they also house significant numbers of U.S. and allied personnel. As Iranian missiles probe their defenses, commanders face hard choices about dispersing assets, investing further in missile defense, or adjusting how openly they use those bases for sorties tied to Iran-related missions.

Politically, these strikes deepen the bind for governments that have tried to keep some distance from the U.S.–Iran confrontation even while cooperating with Washington. Jordan, in particular, has sought to avoid being drawn directly into regional escalations linked to Iran. Missile launches at a high-profile base on its territory shift domestic debates about the costs and benefits of security ties with the U.S. and could fuel public pressure to limit certain operations or seek stronger regional de-escalation mechanisms.

The broader pattern is an Iranian strategy that stretches retaliation across the map: from the Gulf islands and coastal hubs directly opposite Hormuz to bases in Bahrain, Kuwait and now potentially Jordan. Each new state added to the list raises pressure on Washington’s coalition and tests how united U.S. partners remain when their own infrastructure becomes a target.

Key signs to watch in the coming days include any official acknowledgment from Amman regarding hits or near-misses at Muwaffaq Salti, shifts in Jordanian and Bahraini diplomatic language toward Iran and the United States, and visible changes in air-defense deployments and flight patterns around the targeted bases. A decision by Jordan to publicly restrict certain U.S. operations from its territory, or conversely to deepen military cooperation, would signal how much this round of missile fire has reshaped its risk calculus.