Jordan's Military Says Intercepted 3 Iranian Missiles
Members of the Jordanian army. Reuters file photo
Jordan's military said it shot down three Iranian missiles on Friday, reporting no casualties or damage, as the war in the Middle East escalated.
"This Friday morning, air defense systems intercepted three Iranian missiles that entered Jordanian airspace and were targeting the kingdom's territory, and managed to intercept and bring them down," said a military statement.
The United States expanded its airstrike campaign against Iran early Friday by hitting more bridges and collapsing a tower at a key Iranian port, part of US President Donald Trump’s threats to start striking infrastructure to pressure Tehran to ease its chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran launched new missile attacks against several countries in the Gulf and Jordan.
The al-Tanf military outpost in southern Syria is seen on Oct. 22, 2018. (AP)
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Iran Says Attacked Al-Tanf Military Base in Syria
The al-Tanf military outpost in southern Syria is seen on Oct. 22, 2018. (AP)
Iran's Revolutionary Guards said on Friday they had attacked a US special operations command center at al-Tanf in Syria in retaliation for the killing of Iranian soldiers in Iranshahr, state media reported.
Reuters could not independently verify the claim, and there was no immediate comment from the Syrian government or the US military.
The US military said in February it completed a withdrawal from the al-Tanf base positioned at the tri-border confluence of Syria, Jordan and Iraq.
Syria has sought to avoid being drawn into the regional conflict that has engulfed neighboring countries, including Lebanon, where Hezbollah has fought Israeli forces, and Iraq, where Iran-backed armed groups have launched drone and rocket attacks.
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa said in March that his country would stay out of any conflict unless it came under attack.
"Unless Syria is targeted by any party, Syria will remain outside any conflict," Sharaa said at an event hosted by the Chatham House think tank in London.
The Guards also said Iran retained full control of the Strait of Hormuz and that no oil or gas would be exported through the waterway for as long as US attacks continued, according to the state media report.
France's Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu along with his delegation (L) attend a plenary session with the Moroccan lawmakers in Rabat on July 16, 2026. (Photo by Abdel Majid BZIOUAT / AFP)
France's Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu along with his delegation (L) attend a plenary session with the Moroccan lawmakers in Rabat on July 16, 2026. (Photo by Abdel Majid BZIOUAT / AFP)
The prime ministers of Morocco and France opened a high-level ministerial meeting in Rabat on Thursday aimed at strengthening bilateral ties ahead of an anticipated state visit by King Mohammed VI to Paris.
Relations between France and Morocco have improved significantly since French President Emmanuel Macron recognized Morocco's sovereignty over Western Sahara in the summer of 2024. In October of that year, Macron received an exceptionally warm welcome during an official visit to Rabat, marking the end of three years of strained relations.
Moroccan Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch held bilateral talks with his French counterpart, Sébastien Lecornu, at the opening of the 15th session of the joint intergovernmental meeting.
Lecornu arrived in Rabat on Wednesday night accompanied by 12 ministers, including Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot and Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez.
Akhannouch said that "the exceptional partnership between Morocco and France, established during President Emmanuel Macron's state visit to the Kingdom in October 2024, has opened a new chapter in relations between our two countries. It has laid the foundation for an ambitious future built on strong political convergence, renewed economic momentum, and a shared determination to prepare for and build the future together."
He added that "the enhanced exceptional partnership between Morocco and France is founded not only on strategic and economic dimensions, but also on a deep conviction rooted in the richness of the human ties between our societies. Students, researchers, entrepreneurs, artists, creators, and members of our diaspora all contribute to bringing our peoples closer together and enriching our cultures."
France's Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu (L) and his Moroccan counterpart Aziz Akhannouch prepare to greet each other after delivering their press statements at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs office in Rabat on July 16, 2026. (Photo by Abdel Majid BZIOUAT / AFP)
King Mohammed VI is expected to pay a state visit to France to sign a Morocco-France Treaty, as announced by the two countries' foreign ministers during a meeting in Rabat in May, although no date has been set yet.
Lecornu said the anticipated visit could lead to the signing of "a unique friendship treaty" that would go beyond the "enhanced exceptional partnership" agreements concluded during Macron's 2024 visit to Rabat.
He stressed that France seeks to deepen its relationship with Morocco, particularly in the areas of security and counterterrorism, while highlighting the two countries' "shared interests" across Africa.
Lecornu added: "The significance of our presence here today, accompanied by such a large ministerial delegation, is our desire to achieve a qualitative leap in our bilateral relationship - a transformation that will benefit both our countries and others as well. This also applies to our relationship with the European Union and to our shared and aligned interests across the African continent."
France is seeking to strengthen its partnership with Morocco, particularly regarding security developments in the Sahel region, after moving away from its longstanding policy of maintaining a balance between Rabat and Algiers.
The ministerial summit is expected to conclude with the signing of around 15 cooperation agreements covering the economy, security, defense, and migration, according to a diplomatic source.
The agreements are expected to include projects related to an urban rail network in and around the capital, as well as cooperation in defense industries, civil aviation, water, electricity, and culture.
Lecornu also said that France and Morocco are seeking expressions of interest for an electricity interconnection project between the two countries as part of broader efforts to strengthen energy links between Europe and North Africa.
Iran Reportedly Tells Houthis to Stand Ready to Close Bab el-Mandebhttps://english.aawsat.com/arab-world/5296971-iran-reportedly-tells-houthis-stand-ready-close-bab-el-mandeb
Iran Reportedly Tells Houthis to Stand Ready to Close Bab el-Mandeb
A Yemeni holds an Iranian flag during a rally in Sanaa, Yemen, 15 July 2026. EPA/YAHYA ARHAB
Iran has asked Yemen’s Houthis militias to stand ready to close the Red Sea oil route if the United States strikes Iranian power infrastructure, three sources told Reuters on Thursday, posing a potent new threat to global energy supplies.
The idea has been discussed within Iran's leadership, and the message has been conveyed to its Houthi allies, two senior Iranian sources and a regional source familiar with the matter said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The sources said the Houthis had been informed recently of Tehran's request, which has not been previously reported.
They did not give further details on how it had been conveyed or whether it was after US President Donald Trump’s threat to attack Iranian power infrastructure on Tuesday.
Iran’s foreign ministry and a spokesperson for the Houthis were not immediately available to respond to Reuters' request.
A source close to the Houthis said the group had completed preparations to attack shipping by deploying missiles and drones near Bab el-Mandeb strait.
Any threat to the Red Sea and its Bab el-Mandeb gateway risks hugely exacerbating the global energy crisis triggered by Iran's closure of the Strait of Hormuz and underscores the explosive risks stemming from a new round of warfare.
With the Hormuz strait already shut, any Houthi attacks on vessels or ports in the Red Sea would leave the Middle East's two main oil export routes disrupted simultaneously, opening a new front in both the energy crisis and Iran's wider conflict with the United States.
Representatives of Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) who are already in Yemen will control the decision on when to close the Bab el-Mandeb strait, said the source close to the Houthis.
Nine vessels travelled through the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday, the first day after the US reimposed its naval blockade on Iranian ports with both countries escalating strikes across the Gulf, shipping data showed.
The vessels crossed the strait, mostly on the Iranian route, down from 13 the previous day, Kpler data showed.
There were no Very Large Crude Carrier or liquefied natural gas tankers visibly passing through the strait.
Five empty vessels entered the Gulf, including three small oil tankers and two dry bulk carriers for grains, the data showed. The four vessels that exited the strait on Wednesday carried liquefied petroleum gas, coal, fuel oil and fertilizer.
On Tuesday, a Suezmax tanker carrying 1 million barrels of Saudi crude exited the strait with its transponder switched off, Kpler data showed.
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