Iran's increasingly accurate missile attacks on US bases and infrastructure in the Gulf are exposing failures in American air defences, the Guardian reports, aided by Chinese satellite imagery and Russian tactics.
Key facts
- Iran has been striking US bases and critical infrastructure in the Gulf with increasing accuracy, according to the Guardian.
- Three American soldiers were killed last Friday in an attack on the Muwaffaq Salti airbase in Jordan.
- The airbase was being protected by a US Thaad air defence system at the time of the attack.
- Iranian media released satellite imagery showing several buildings had been completely destroyed.
- The Guardian reports Iran is being helped by Chinese satellite imagery and tactics learned from Russia in Ukraine.
Iran’s missile capabilities have improved to the point of posing a real threat to the United States, according to a report by the Guardian published on 24 July 2026. As the crisis in the Middle East escalates, Tehran has been bombing US bases and critical infrastructure across the Gulf with what the outlet describes as increasing accuracy.
The Guardian reports that Iran’s improved targeting is being helped by Chinese satellite imagery and by tactics learned from Russia during the war in Ukraine. These factors, the outlet says, have contributed to increasingly accurate and lethal attacks that are exposing failures in American air defences in the region.
A central example cited by the Guardian is an attack last Friday on the Muwaffaq Salti airbase in Jordan, in which three American soldiers were killed. The base was being protected by a US Thaad air defence system at the time, according to the report.
Satellite imagery later released by Iranian media showed that several buildings at the site had been completely destroyed, the Guardian reports. The apparent scale of the damage points to the questions the outlet raises about the effectiveness of American defensive systems against Iran’s evolving arsenal.
The report frames these developments within a wider escalation of the crisis in the Middle East, with Iran targeting both military installations and critical infrastructure in the Gulf. The combination of foreign assistance and battlefield-tested tactics is presented as a key element behind the improved performance of Iranian missiles.
Why it matters
The reported ability of Iranian missiles to strike US bases despite advanced defensive systems such as Thaad raises serious questions about American military security in the Gulf. With three US soldiers killed and infrastructure destroyed, the situation signals a potentially dangerous escalation in an already volatile region.
Frequently asked questions
What happened at the Muwaffaq Salti airbase?
According to the Guardian, three American soldiers were killed in an attack last Friday on the Muwaffaq Salti airbase in Jordan, which was being protected by a US Thaad air defence system. Iranian media later released satellite imagery showing several buildings had been completely destroyed.
How has Iran improved its missile accuracy?
The Guardian reports that Iran's increasingly accurate attacks have been helped by Chinese satellite imagery and tactics learned from Russia during the war in Ukraine.
What is being targeted in the Gulf?
The Guardian reports that Iran has been bombing US bases and critical infrastructure in the Gulf with increasing accuracy amid an escalating crisis in the Middle East.