Iran fires ballistic missiles at US base in Jordan; oil jumps, bitcoin slips

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps launched multiple ballistic missiles at about 5:45 p.m. ET on July 28 targeting U.S. positions near Jordan’s Muwaffaq Salti Air Base. U.S. Central Command reported Patriot air-defense batteries intercepted every incoming missile. Jordan’s military said it engaged and shot down some projectiles. Both reported no U.S. or Jordanian casualties or damage.

Iran’s military claimed responsibility, calling the strike retaliation for “illegal and malicious actions” by Washington. CENTCOM described the launches as an “attempted surprise attack” on American positions. The strike is the first direct Iranian ballistic missile attack on a U.S. base in the region since U.S. offensive strikes were paused days earlier to allow diplomacy with Tehran. On July 18, an Iranian strike on Jordan’s Al Azraq air base killed two American service members and left another missing.

Financial markets moved within hours. West Texas Intermediate crude rose 3.95% to $83.08 a barrel and Brent crude climbed 3.86% to $87.34. Equity futures gained: Dow Jones futures rose about 63 points, S&P 500 futures added roughly 26 points and Nasdaq 100 futures advanced close to 133 points. Oil had fallen in the days after the pause was announced, with Brent sliding from above $100 to around $87; the July 28 attack reversed part of that decline.

Cryptocurrency markets also reacted. Bitcoin had recovered to approximately $65,200 by July 27 and briefly touched about $65,600 at the start of futures trading. It eased to around $64,000 before the evening attack, then slipped toward the $63,600–$63,800 range after news of the missile launches and later recovered toward $64,500.

CENTCOM’s account and Iran’s claim were issued in separate statements. The incident follows repeated rounds of attacks and pauses since February 28, affecting regional security and global market prices.