After actively participating in the interception operation alongside the United States, Britain, and France against Iranian missiles, Jordan found itself vulnerable to harsh criticism from Palestinian supporters. Among the significant controversies of Iran’s attack on Israeli soil was Jordan’s involvement in the interception operation. Ayman Safadi, the Jordanian Foreign Minister, confirmed his country’s role in neutralizing the missiles. Similarly, Emmanuel Macron, the President of France, confirmed that his country’s army had engaged in the interception operation at the request of Jordanian authorities. A picture of Princess Salma, the daughter of the Jordanian king, circulated widely in the media, alleging her participation in the interception operation and the destruction of five Iranian drones within their country’s airspace. Criticism towards Jordanian authorities from Iran is also intense. Some Iranian media outlets, citing Iranian officials, have reported that if Jordan participates in any potential Israeli response, it will be the next target, leading to the summoning of the Iranian Ambassador in Amman. However, Nasser Kanaani, the spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, did not explicitly comment on Jordan’s role in intercepting these missiles, stating, “I am not in a position to confirm or deny Jordan’s role in intercepting these missiles, and this is a military matter for the relevant authorities to address.” Jordanian authorities have stated that they defended their airspace against Tehran’s missiles, not necessarily Tel Aviv’s. Nevertheless, this is the first time an Arab country stands in support of Israel against another Islamic country. However, Jordan’s stance against Israel has been fierce since the start of the Gaza war, and it has recalled its ambassador from Tel Aviv and not allowed the Israeli ambassador to return to Amman.
The question that arises is: Why did Jordan participate in supporting Israel in the destruction operation of Iranian missiles?
In response to the above question, several points are raised:
1- Jordan has been skeptical of the emergence of the Islamic Republic of Iran from the outset, and the reason is clear: a Sunni monarchy cannot trust a revolutionary Shia government, especially when Jordan had a very warm relationship with pre-revolutionary Iran. After Iran and Iraq went to war, relations between Amman and Tehran soured because Jordan stood alongside Saddam. At that time, Jordan provided the most support to Iraq against Iran. Since then, Iran has been suspicious of Jordan, and relations between the two sides have not inclined towards warmth. Jordan has also provided sanctuary to the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran also known as Mujahideen-e Khalq organization for a period, a group that Iran considers an irreconcilable enemy. The organization operated in Jordan for a while but was later banned.
2- Jordan is among America’s traditional and non-NATO allies in the Middle East. Perhaps no Arab country is closer to the Washington and London rather than Jordan. At a time when the Palestinian issue was very heated, and Arab governments were not satisfied with anything less than the destruction of Israel, Jordan enjoyed the trust of the West, especially America and Britain. Even Gamal Abdel Nasser, the former President of Egypt, was very skeptical of the Jordanian monarchy because he saw it as dependent on the Western world. Jordan’s relationship with Washington not only did not darken but became stronger day by day. Jordan is heavily reliant on the United States in terms of military-security matters. It is said that hundreds of American trainers are present in Jordan, providing training to the country’s military. The United States has several bases in Jordan, with Tower 22 being the most famous among them. This base tower headlines when it was targeted by a drone attack by the quasi-military group, Kata’ib Hezbollah, a few years ago. As a result of that attack, three American soldiers were killed. The United States has over three thousand military personnel in Jordan, who are present not only at the aforementioned base but also at other bases such as Al-Azraq, Shahid Muafaq, and H-4. When a Sunni Arab monarchy is so closely aligned with America, it cannot be a friend of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
3- Although Jordan has been involved in conflicts with Israel twice, it still maintains a good relationship with that country. Jordan’s clashes with Israel have also been due to its support for Palestinians. Compared to other Arab countries, Jordan has been more involved in the Palestinian conflict. Due to its geographical proximity, the country hosts the largest number of Palestinian refugees. It is said that one out of every five people in Jordan is Palestinian. The western and eastern banks of the Jordan River, which were under Jordanian control, were lost to Israel during the Six-Day War in June 1967 and came under Israeli occupation. Jordan, as the second Arab country, signed a peace treaty with Israel in October 1994. The treaty was signed at the White House by King Hussein of Jordan and Yitzhak Rabin, the Prime Minister of Israel, with mediation from Bill Clinton, the President of the United States. The Jordanian side has adhered well to the provisions of that treaty. Jordan’s participation in the interception operation against Iranian missiles benefits Tel Aviv, influenced by that peace treaty. Therefore, it cannot simply be a trusted party by Tehran.
4- The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan does not have a good rapport with what is referred to as the “Resistance Axis” in the Middle East, and it has repeatedly accused the Islamic Republic of Iran of Shia sectarianism and interference in the affairs of some Arab countries. King Abdullah II, the current monarch of Jordan, was the first to raise the issue of the “Shia Crescent” in 2004. His notion of the Shia Crescent begins with Iran and extends through Iraq and Syria to Lebanon. According to his belief, the Islamic Republic champions the Shia Crescent, a claim that Iranian officials have repeatedly rejected. The Jordanian monarch viewed the emergence of the Shia Crescent as a product of the fall of Saddam’s regime due to the US military invasion, which, in his view, should not have happened.
Furthermore, Jordan, being devoid of energy resources, relies more on Saudi Arabia in this regard; two countries of monarchical nature that have historically had warm relations. Jordan endeavors to address its energy needs by relying on Riyadh. This dependency has led Jordan’s approach to Tehran to be influenced by the Saudi stance. Reuters reported that Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates also cooperated with the United States in intelligence operations against Iranian missile interceptions but did not provide their airspace for such operations.
Jordan had also aligned itself with Riyadh and Washington during the Syrian crisis, meaning it was content with the downfall of Bashar al-Assad’s government. With a shared border with Syria, Jordan played an influential role in supporting Syrian rebels at that time. The emergence of ISIS led to a renewed sharpness in Jordanian authorities’ tone against the Islamic Republic compared to the past. King Abdullah of Jordan equated ISIS and Iran in a conversation with The Washington Post, claiming that there was no difference between them. These statements led to a cooling of relations between the two sides.
For now, Jordan and Iran maintain diplomatic relations, albeit not very friendly and not overly hostile either. Jordan, not playing a prominent role in regional and global affairs, perhaps does not take its friendship or enmity with Iran as seriously as it does with Riyadh, Abu Dhabi, Doha, and others.