Iran’s fierce counterattack on America: 20 ballistic missiles fired at American airbase in Jordan, claims to have captured advanced US underwater drone in Hormuz.

The tension in the battlefield of West Asia has now reached such a point where the fear of a major war has deepened. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has launched heavy retaliation after US Central Command (CENTCOM) destroyed five large Iranian crude oil tankers in the Gulf region in precision strikes. Iran’s army fired 20 powerful ballistic missiles targeting the US-operated Muwaffaq Salti Air Base located in Al-Azraq, Jordan. The Iranian military command claims that this base was being used as a deployment, weapons loading and maintenance shelter for American fighter planes, which has been hit directly and heavily.

After this missile series fired by Iran, loud sirens sounded in Jordanian airspace. The Jordanian Armed Forces issued an official statement confirming that their modern air defense system responded quickly and tracked and destroyed 18 out of 20 ballistic missiles in the sky. The remaining two missiles fell in open and non-residential areas away from populated areas. According to Jordanian defense officials, there were no reports of any civilian or military casualties in the attack. US Defense Department officials also confirmed that all US troops stationed in Jordan following the attack have been safely identified.

Amidst this horrific missile attack, the Iranian Navy has shocked Washington by making another sensational claim. Iran’s state television and the IRGC released a video claiming to have captured an advanced autonomous unmanned underwater vehicle (AUV/Drone) of the US Navy after conducting a complex intelligence operation at the mouth of the strategic Strait of Hormuz. According to Iranian media, the seized submersible drone is a ‘Dive-LD’ autonomous vehicle manufactured by major California defense firm Anduril Industries, which is said to be equipped with modern radar and surveillance technology.

The reaction of the US Defense Headquarters Pentagon and American officials has also come to light on this claim of Iran. Citing Reuters, US officials admitted that a US military underwater drone had gone astray in Middle East waters due to a technical malfunction. However, US officials rejected Iran’s claims of acquiring intelligence technology, saying it was an older model with no classified or sensitive sonar and radar equipment. On the other hand, the IRGC also claimed that it fired ballistic missiles at two American guided-missile destroyers patrolling the Gulf (DDG-119 and DDG-53). However, the American command says that the warships remained completely safe from attacks.

This series of missile attacks, drone disputes and ongoing attacks on oil tankers have set international energy markets on fire. In the international market, the prices of Brent crude are rising rapidly and have started touching the level of $99 to $100 per barrel. Iran has warned that its military operations will continue until Washington stops attacks on its ships and interests. This ongoing direct retaliation between the two powers in the Gulf region is pushing the entire region towards a major international crisis.