Iranian attacks on Jordan “premeditated policy” and not a “reaction,” says Jordan FM

Iranian attacks targeting Jordan and the Arab region began just "two hours after the war started," demonstrating an execution of a "premeditated policy rather than a reaction," Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said.

Speaking at a joint press conference in Vienna alongside his Austrian counterpart Beate Meinl-Reisinger, Safadi forcefully rejected arguments framing Jordan's defensive position as a liability, emphasizing that the Kingdom is a sovereign state acting to protect its national security.

“And I remind you that Iran started attacking Jordan and other countries in the region, particularly in our—in the Arab Gulf, two hours after the war started,” Safadi said in response to a question from a journalist.

“So that was an implementation of a premeditated policy rather than a reaction.”

تصريحات نائب رئيس الوزراء ووزير الخارجية وشؤون المغتربين أيمن الصفدي @AymanHsafadi عقب مباحثاته مع وزيرة الخارجية الاتحادية للشؤون الأوروبية والدولية في جمهورية النمسا بياته ماينل - رايسينغر في فيينا. pic.twitter.com/W9gYqB1qAd

— وزارة الخارجية وشؤون المغتربين الأردنية (@ForeignMinistry) September 3, 2026

Addressing claims regarding foreign military presence in the country, Safadi said that Jordan does not host independent foreign bases, but rather maintains bilateral defense programs.

"There are no American, independent American bases in Jordan. They are American troops embedded in Jordanian bases as part of a long-standing cooperation that goes back to the days of the global coalition against ISIS," Safadi said.

He added that such arrangements are governed by formal agreements that explicitly detail "the roles and duties of those forces," noting that Jordan maintains similar defense cooperation with European allies, including Germany, France, and Austria.

Safadi underscored that hostile actions from Tehran are not a new development, highlighting a long pattern of regional interference.

"Iran has been attacking us and many other countries in the region long before even this war started," Safadi stated, noting that past actions included "meddling in internal affairs," "investing in proxies," and "clandestine operations that targeted the security and stability of many countries". He pointed specifically to ongoing cross-border security challenges, including "supporting drug trafficking" and "supporting weapons trafficking into Jordan".

"We're a sovereign country; we were not a party to this war, we are not a party to this war," Safadi added.

"Jordan is committed to dialogue; Jordan is committed to diplomatic, peaceful engagement to resolve crises. But at the same time, we're entitled to do whatever we believe is necessary to protect our country, protect our people, and protect our sovereignty".