Iranian Missile Tears Off A-10 Wing in Jordan
A newly leaked damage assessment shows Iran's missile strike on a base in Jordan tore off an A-10 attack jet's wing and damaged eight F-15E fighters, despite Trump's denial.
A damage assessment that only reached the public days after the attack shows that an Iranian missile strike on Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan seriously damaged a U.S. A-10 Thunderbolt II attack aircraft, while roughly eight F-15E Strike Eagle fighters sustained lighter damage. For the region, and for Belgrade, which follows the war between the United States and Iran mainly through its effect on energy prices and the stability of the wider Middle East, this is a fresh sign that the conflict is not winding down, despite occasional suggestions that it could end by year’s end.
According to sources familiar with the damage assessment, one A-10 had its wing torn off in the attack, while eight F-15E fighters were returned to service after their damage was assessed as minor. No American service members were killed. A spokesperson for U.S. Central Command did not respond to questions about the incident.
Sources disagree on the exact timing of the attack. Air and Space Forces Magazine reports the strike took place on September 8, Eastern time, while CBS News writes it happened overnight between Tuesday and Wednesday, meaning between September 9 and 10. Both outlets agree it was the same attack on Muwaffaq Salti, a base near the Jordanian city of Azraq that has served, since February, when the conflict began, as the main hub for U.S. air operations against Iran.
What Preceded the Attack on the Base
The attack on Muwaffaq Salti followed the United States sinking five Iranian tankers on September 8. Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said in response that it had simultaneously targeted eight tankers and two warships, including the base in Jordan, and claimed responsibility for the missile strike. U.S. forces in Jordan fired more than 30 Patriot missiles defending the base, while the Jordanian armed forces said they tracked 20 incoming ballistic missiles and shot down 18 of them.
This is not the first time the base has been targeted by Iranian missiles since the war began. A July attack on the same base killed three American service members, making the September strike confirmation that Tehran, despite losses on other fronts, still has both the range and the will to hit a key point of the U.S. air presence in the region.
Trump Denied It First, Then Sources Confirmed Otherwise
President Donald Trump was categorical in a Thursday interview when asked about damage to the aircraft. “No. None. No damage. Nothing,” Trump said, according to ABC News. Only after that statement did sources familiar with the assessment confirm to CBS News and Air and Space Forces Magazine that the damage to the A-10 and the F-15E fighters was real.
Speaking to reporters before a trip to Texas, the president also addressed a possible end to the war, tying it to the upcoming international elections in November. “I think the war will be over right after the election,” Trump said, adding that Iran no longer has the strength to hold out much longer. He was direct about Tehran’s motives: “Iran is desperately trying to influence the election.” At the same time, the president said negotiations with Iran are not currently on the table, since, in his words, the Iranian side has lost most of the leverage it once had.
Iran Is Building New Missiles, But Slower
U.S. intelligence assesses that Iran has continued producing ballistic missiles in underground facilities, but at a considerably slower pace than before the war, drawing largely on components stockpiled before the conflict began in February. It is unclear whether Tehran will be able to keep production going once those stockpiles run out, since damage to production facilities and the U.S. blockade have made it harder to obtain the necessary parts.
Washington, for its part, is struggling with its own logistics. CBS News has previously reported that U.S. officials are concerned about the rapid depletion of Patriot missile stockpiles and other precision munitions, the very kind of interceptor that defended Muwaffaq Salti from the Iranian strike a week earlier. The collision of two depleted sides, Iran’s slowed missile production and America’s shrinking interceptor stockpiles, will be one of the factors determining whether Trump’s prediction of a war’s end after the November election actually comes true.
We previously covered the attack on Iranian tankers that preceded the missile strike on the base in Jordan in the article “US Sinks Five Iranian Tankers, Strikes Base in Jordan.”
