Jordan’s government pushed back Sunday against a statement from the US Embassy in Amman that claimed Jordanian authorities had cleared out the international airport and seaport in the southern port city of Aqaba due to what the embassy called a “specific and credible threat.”
Jordanian government spokesman Mohammad Al-Momani rejected the embassy’s account outright, telling the state-run Petra news agency that no evacuation orders had been issued for either facility. Al-Momani added that Jordanian authorities had not detected any potential threats to Aqaba in the hours leading up to the embassy’s statement. Jordan’s state news agency separately quoted a government spokesperson confirming that no decision had been made to evacuate the airport or the seaport.
Earlier that same Sunday, the US Embassy in Amman had put out a statement saying Jordanian authorities had evacuated both the Aqaba international airport and the seaport in response to what it described as a “specific and credible threat.” The embassy called on American citizens to avoid traveling to either location and urged them to follow all security guidance from Jordanian authorities.
The embassy also reminded Americans in Jordan to stay away from military bases in the country, avoid demonstrations and large gatherings, steer clear of areas with a heavy police presence, and use extra caution near places publicly associated with the United States.
In a separate and significant development, Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization alleged that the United States had carried out a strike on the Darkhovin nuclear power plant, a facility still under construction in Khuzestan province in southwestern Iran. Iran’s Mehr news agency reported the organization’s claim that the alleged attack was a violation of international law. No specific timeframe for the supposed strike was given, and no details about damage to the site were provided.
Construction on the Darkhovin nuclear power plant began in 2022.
