Trump Criticises Jordan After Three US Troops Killed in Iranian Attack

United States President Donald Trump has criticised Jordan, Washington’s strategic ally in the Middle East, following the deaths of three US soldiers in an Iranian attack that struck an airbase in the country. Trump assessed that such an incident would not have occurred had it been handled by American forces or military personnel.

Speaking during a meeting with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun at the White House, Trump said Iran “smuggled something through” Jordanian territory. He did not elaborate further on the meaning of his statement. “That would not have happened if American forces or personnel were in control,” Trump said. “When you let other parties do your job, the results are not always good,” the US President added.

There has been no response from Jordanian authorities regarding Trump’s criticism. US Central Command, which oversees American military operations in the Middle East, announced that at least three US troops were killed in the attack on Muwaffaq Salti Air Base last week. The strike hit the barracks where the American soldiers were sleeping.

The US military also announced that another soldier was killed and one injured while disposing of ammunition from an Iranian drone that crashed in northern Iraq. The Jordanian military said in a statement that its air defence systems intercepted and shot down three missiles detected as being launched from Iranian territory on Monday evening, triggering loud explosions across several parts of the country.

Iran launched a wave of attacks against Gulf states in retaliation for the latest US strikes. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced that its attack destroyed US radar systems in Jordan and a facility belonging to the American company Amazon in Bahrain.