In the eastern reaches of Jordan, near the quiet town of Al-Azraq, a air base has become a theater for one of the region's most consequential tensions: Iran's deliberate campaign to raise the cost of American military presence in the Middle East. Over recent weeks, Tehran has intensified strikes on the Muwaffaq Salti Air Base, framing it not as Jordanian soil but as an extension of American power — and therefore a legitimate target. The escalation places Jordan, a steadfast US ally, in an increasingly precarious position between its commitments to Washington and the realities of being caught i