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<div class="gmail-inner-article-top"><h1 class="gmail-">Jordan serving as 'key hub' for US warplanes needed for Iran war: Report</h1><p class="gmail-">Jordan is part of a US-led 'regional construct' to protect Israel alongside other Arab states in the event of war with Iran</p><div class="gmail-another-name"><p><a href="https://thecradle.co/authors/news-desk-9" style="color:rgb(164,4,4)">News Desk</a></p></div><div class="gmail-another-name" style="margin-top:16px"><p><span style="color:rgb(84,88,94)">FEB 22, 2026 - </span><font size="1"><a href="https://thecradle.co/articles/jordan-serving-as-key-hub-for-us-warplanes-needed-for-iran-war-report">https://thecradle.co/articles/jordan-serving-as-key-hub-for-us-warplanes-needed-for-iran-war-report</a></font></p></div></div><div class="gmail-inner-article-img"><img src="https://thecradle-main.oss-eu-central-1.aliyuncs.com/public/articles/09f811a2-0fde-11f1-9893-00163e02c055.webp" alt="" width="408" height="230" style="margin-right: 0px;"><span>(Photo credit: AFP)</span></div><div class="gmail-inner-article-content"><div class="gmail-row"><div class="gmail-col-md-8 gmail-col-sm-7"><div class="gmail-article-content"><span class="gmail-article-body"><p><span style="background-color:transparent">A military base in central Jordan has become a "key hub" for the US military's preparations for possible strikes on Iran, <i>The New York Times</i> </span><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/20/us/politics/us-military-jordan-iran.html"><span style="background-color:transparent">reported</span></a><span style="background-color:transparent"> on 22 February, citing satellite imagery and flight tracking data.</span></p><p><span style="background-color:transparent">Satellite images taken on Friday show the number of US warplanes at the Muwaffaq Salti base has more than tripled to over 60.</span></p><p><span style="background-color:transparent">At
the same time, flight tracking data shows that at least 68 cargo planes
have landed at the base since Sunday. Additional fighter jets could be
located at the base, but hidden from aerial view by shelters.</span></p><p><span style="background-color:transparent">The
aircraft visible in the images includes F-35 stealth jets, the most
advanced aircraft in the US military's possession, as well as several
drones and helicopters.</span></p><p><span style="background-color:transparent">US forces also established new air defenses to protect the base in the case of an Iranian missile attack in retaliation.</span></p><div class="gmail-twitter-tweet gmail-twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display:flex;max-width:550px;width:100%;margin-top:10px;margin-bottom:10px"></div> <p><span style="background-color:transparent">Jordanian
officials told the NYT that the US planes and equipment are deployed
there as part of a defense agreement with Washington.</span></p><p><span style="background-color:transparent">Jordan
is quietly facilitating US preparations for war on Iran while publicly
claiming they will not allow their territory to be used for a war
against Tehran.</span></p><p><span style="background-color:transparent">"Officially,
Amman confirms it will not allow the use of its territory for any
attack, in a clear attempt to establish neutrality and keep the country
away from the line of fire," according to a Jordanian source </span><a href="https://www.ynetnews.com/article/hyj6kuduwe"><span style="background-color:transparent">speaking</span></a><span style="background-color:transparent"> with Israel's <i>Ynet</i>. </span></p><p><span style="background-color:transparent">Iranian
officials have stated their armed forces will attack any regional
states assisting the US in a renewed attack on the country.</span></p><p><span style="background-color:transparent">In October, leaked documents </span><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2025/10/11/us-israel-arab-military-leaked-documents/"><span style="background-color:transparent">revealed</span></a><span style="background-color:transparent"> by the <i>Washington Post</i>
showed that while Arab states condemned Israel's war on Palestinians in
Gaza as a genocide, they were simultaneously secretly expanding
military cooperation with the US and Israel to help wage a war on Iran.</span></p><p><span style="background-color:transparent">The
documents, written between 2022 and 2025, show that officials from six
Arab countries joined their Israeli and US counterparts for a series of
meetings in Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, and Qatar over the past three years.</span></p><p><span style="background-color:transparent">The
documents described efforts by the US military to create the "Regional
Security Construct," which would include Israel, Qatar, Bahrain, Egypt,
Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE.</span></p><p><span style="background-color:transparent">The
participants met to prepare to protect Israel during a possible war
with Iran by integrating their forces with US air defense systems.</span></p><p><span style="background-color:transparent">The documents show that the "centerpiece of the construct" was "an air-defense plan to combat Iran's missiles and drones," the <i>Post</i> wrote.</span></p><p><span style="background-color:transparent">The
current US military build-up in Jordan comes amid a broader effort to
amass military assets in the region in preparation for an attack on
Iran.</span></p><p><span style="background-color:transparent">Trump has
said he will attack the Islamic Republic if it does not reach a deal on
his terms regarding Tehran's nuclear program, setting a 10 to 15-day
deadline on 19 February.</span></p><p><span style="background-color:transparent">If
Trump orders an attack, it is expected to be larger than the bombing he
ordered in June of last year targeting Iran's nuclear sites.</span></p><p><span style="background-color:transparent">Iran's
retaliation, including the use of ballistic and hypersonic missiles
against US bases and Israel, is also expected to be much larger.</span></p><div class="gmail-twitter-tweet gmail-twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display:flex;max-width:550px;width:100%;margin-top:10px;margin-bottom:10px"></div> <p><span style="background-color:transparent">"It
will be very hard for the Trump administration to do a one-and-done
kind of attack in Iran this time around," Ali Vaez, an Iran expert at
the International Crisis Group, </span><a href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/heres-what-we-know-about-the-buildup-of-u-s-military-assets-in-the-middle-east"><span style="background-color:transparent">told</span></a><span style="background-color:transparent"> PBS.</span></p><p><span style="background-color:transparent">"Because the Iranians would respond in a way that would make all-out conflict inevitable," Vaez added.</span></p><p><span style="background-color:transparent">The
aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and three guided-missile
destroyers have been in the Arabian Sea since the end of January.</span></p><p><span style="background-color:transparent">Two
weeks ago, Trump ordered a second aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R.
Ford, along with three destroyers, to head to the region.</span></p><p><span style="background-color:transparent">Dozens
of fighter jets, including F-35s, F-22s, F-15s, and F-16s, stationed at
bases in the US and Europe have also been spotted heading to West Asia.</span></p><p><span style="background-color:transparent">The US military has also deployed 85 fuel tankers and over 170 cargo planes to the region.</span></p><p><span style="background-color:transparent">In contrast to previous wars against Iraq, the US is not deploying a ground force to the region.</span></p><p><span style="background-color:transparent">The
US deployed more than 500,000 troops to attack Iraq during the Gulf War
in 1991, and roughly 250,0000 soldiers to invade and occupy Iraq in
2003.</span></p><p><span style="background-color:transparent">"So there
are substantial limits to the force package," Seth Jones, a defense
expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told PBS.</span></p></span></div></div></div></div>
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