Iran doesn’t necessarily have to overwhelm America’s defenses. It can force America to keep spending extremely expensive missiles to maintain them.
Iran retaliates after first US strikes in a month
Iran attacked US military targets in the Middle East on Monday in retaliation for the first American strikes on its territory in a month, in a fresh flare-up of the war that has engulfed the region.
Tehran’s powerful Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) said they had responded to Sunday’s American attack by striking two US air bases with ballistic missiles in Washington-allied Jordan, causing “heavy damage”.
Jordan’s army said it had intercepted eight missiles, without stating their origin.
Tehran also claimed it targeted US military personnel at an air base in the United Arab Emirates and shot down a US drone over the Strait of Hormuz.
The flurry of attacks came after the United States said Sunday it had attacked Iranian rocket launchers on the small island of Larak in the strategic shipping lane.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that all mines within the international waters of the Strait of Hormuz had been removed or detonated, and that Iran had been notified that any ship or boat placing new mines would be destroyed. https://t.co/FHcFXIXGLu
— ANews (@anews) August 25, 2026
🇺🇸🇮🇷 If you were wondering why the U.S suddenly attacked Iran after weeks of relative calm, this may explain it:
Tehran announced that an oil supertanker transiting the U.S-backed Omani route in the Strait of Hormuz was struck by two naval mines hours ago, setting the ship…
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) August 31, 2026
BREAKING: The US Army launched 96 to 160 PAC-3 MSE interceptors from its Patriot batteries in Jordan tonight against 32 to 40 Iranian ballistic missiles. Three to four rounds at each missile.
At ~$4 million a shot, that is $380-640 million burned in a single wave to keep two…
— The Hormuz Letter (@HormuzLetter) August 31, 2026
Food so good you grow an extra finger! pic.twitter.com/TlJrVIVhod
— Tea Pain (@TeaPainUSA) August 31, 2026
Iran retaliates against US bases in Jordan
Iran’s IRGC said it launched ballistic missile attacks against two US bases in Jordan, the King Hussein and Al Azraq bases, after the US struck Iranian launchers on Larak Island. This is the first direct US-Iran exchange of fire after roughly a month of relative calm.
The UAE said it intercepted an Iranian drone over its territorial waters. That means the fighting is no longer confined to Iran and Jordan. The UAE is now directly dealing with Iranian attack activity.