In the largest attack by a nation-state targeting Jordanian soil in 50 years, Iran has fired hundreds of ballistic missiles and drones at the Hashemite Kingdom since February. Fatalities were recorded on July 17 when an Iranian strike killed three U.S. soldiers at Azraq’s Muwaffaq Salti Air Base. King Abdullah II declined to give a speech or hold a press conference about the killings. In fact, amid an intensifying debate over Jordan’s security partnership with Washington, the king still has not commented on the attack or offered a public defense of his policies. Instead, Abdullah left Jordan for a week in July and visited the United Kingdom—without even meeting the country’s premier. This week, Abdullah is touring China.
What explains the king’s distant approach, which stands in stark contrast to his high-profile governing strategy after coming to power in 1999? It may be that, committed to maintaining strong ties to an unpopular ally, the king has concluded that keeping quiet is the best strategy.
In the largest attack by a nation-state targeting Jordanian soil in 50 years, Iran has fired hundreds of ballistic missiles and drones at the Hashemite Kingdom since February. Fatalities were recorded on July 17 when an Iranian strike killed three U.S. soldiers at Azraq’s Muwaffaq Salti Air Base. King Abdullah II declined to give a speech or hold a press conference about the killings. In fact, amid an intensifying debate over Jordan’s security partnership with Washington, the king still has not commented on the attack or offered a public defense of his policies. Instead, Abdullah left Jordan for a week in July and visited the United Kingdom—without even meeting the country’s premier. This week, Abdullah is touring China.
