‘Exactly what Iran intended’: Some Jordanians buckle under missile pressure, demand US withdrawal

An open letter signed by hundreds of Jordanian political and legal figures is publicly challenging the government's stance, demanding the withdrawal of US forces from the country. The signatories, representing both Palestinian and original Jordanian tribes, argue that the American military presence exposes Jordan to unacceptable risks.

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This is exactly what Iran intended when it launched missiles at Jordan, as well as at other Gulf states. Its goal was to put pressure on the Jordanian population to demand the removal of the American presence.

According to Professor Ronen Yitzhak, this public dissent is precisely what Iran aims to achieve. He stated that Iran's missile launches toward Jordan and other Gulf states were intended to pressure populations into demanding the removal of US forces. "This is exactly what Iran intended when it launched missiles at Jordan... Its goal was to put pressure on the Jordanian population to demand the removal of the American presence," Yitzhak told The Jerusalem Post.

The open letter asserts that the US military presence "exposes Jordan to security, political, and economic risks that serve no national interest and increases the likelihood of our country being dragged into a regional conflict to which it is not a party." Jordan currently hosts approximately 4,000 American troops and receives substantial military assistance from the US.

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US military presence “exposes Jordan to security, political, and economic risks that serve no national interest and increases the likelihood of our country being dragged into a regional conflict to which it is not a party."

Yitzhak further elaborated on Iran's broader strategy, suggesting that Tehran seeks to deepen divisions between the Jordanian government, which supports the US, and its populace, which opposes American policy. This tactic is part of a long-standing Iranian ambition to foster internal discord and governmental chaos within Jordan to expand its regional influence.

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But it is more than that. There is an Iranian intention to deepen the gap between the Jordanian government, which supports the United States, and the Jordanian people, which opposes American policy, as part of the Iranian ambition to sow discord within Jordan and cause governmental chaos in order to increase Iranian influence in Jordan - this has been Iran's ambition for over 20 years.