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Source: https://www.thetimes.com/world/middle-east/article/jordan-petra-us-iran-war-lv276h7kt
Jordan's Ancient Rock City of Petra Caught in U.S.-Iran War
(Sunday Times-UK) Rachel Hagan - When the sound of aircraft and incoming Iranian missiles began to fill the sky above the small desert town of Azraq in Jordan one night in July, restaurant manager Ahmad al-Qadri, 24, pulled up a plastic chair outside and watched. In the darkness, he saw flashes as missiles were intercepted overhead. A few miles away, Iranian missiles were striking Muwaffaq Salti Air Base, a vast Jordanian military facility used by the U.S., which is thought to have 4,000 troops in the country. Three were killed. Jordan has become a useful pressure point for the Iranian regime. Nearly 300 Iranian missiles and drones have been directed at Jordan since the war began, most aimed at facilities used by American forces. Jordan has not announced any retaliatory strikes against Iran. In July, 300 Jordanian politicians, academics, lawyers, retired officers and tribal leaders signed an open letter calling for foreign forces to leave and the country's military facilities to remain neutral. Yet Jordan is one of the largest recipients of American aid, receiving $1.65 billion in economic and military assistance last year. The archaeological site of Petra became familiar to millions through the film "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade." After war broke out in Iran this year, tourist visits collapsed by 80% between February and March.