Why did Iran target US bases in Jordan? Sina Azodi explains

Following the US preemptive strike on Iran's Larak Island and Iran's missile retaliation against US bases in Jordan, Sina Azodi, director of the Middle East Studies Program at George Washington University, told Al Jazeera that it is "really up to the American side" whether the conflict escalates further. He warned that if the US responds, Iran will be "left with no choice" but to respond, potentially leading back to "full military confrontation." Azodi said the US claim that Iran was preparing to launch sea mines from Larak is "quite possible", given Tehran's desire to assert control over the Strait of Hormuz. He said both sides are engaged in a "war of narratives" over the strait, with President Trump's claims about keeping it open also aimed at calming energy markets ahead of the US midterm elections. Azodi said Iran's targeting of Jordan was deliberate, given its strained relations with Amman, and intended to signal that "any American base in the region can be a potential target." He added that Iran's war plans were "designed far in advance", stretching back two decades, and have gone "more accurately" than US plans. Subscribe to our channel: http://bit.ly/AJSubscribe Follow us on X: https://X.com/AJEnglish Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aljazeera Check our website: http://www.aljazeera.com/ Check out our Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/aljazeeraenglish/ Download AJE Mobile App: https://aje.news/AJEMobile #Iran #UnitedStates #Jordan #IranWar #USAttacksIran #StraitOfHormuz #LarakIsland #HormuzMines #IranRetaliationAttacks #USIranEscallation #CENTCOM #IRGC #IranMissiles #HormuzCrisis #HormuzControl #AlJazeeraEnglish