WAR TORN

Trump Humiliated as $500M Jets Are Hit in Major War Disaster

The president insists he has the upper hand in his unpopular conflict.

Several U.S. military aircraft have been damaged by Iranian strikes targeting a base in Jordan, according to a report.

Around eight F-15 fighter jets were partially damaged during the attack, sources told CBS News. An A-10 Thunderbolt II, known as the Warthog, was more seriously hit and was missing a wing after being struck at the Muwaffaq Salti Air Base.

The eight F-15s targeted in the attack have a combined worth of $520 million. The A-10 Thunderbolt, which the U.S. has not made a new unit of since 1984, would cost around $20 million to build when adjusted for inflation.

The F-15s have been returned to service, CBS reported.

The long-term fate of the A-10 Thunderbolt is unclear. The attack aircraft, which carry a rotary cannon that can fire up to 4,200 armor-piercing rounds a minute, have been used to target Iranian ships in the Strait of Hormuz.

The U.S. has dozens of military aircraft stationed at the base, which is used as a hub for operations over Iran.

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No one is believed to have been killed in the attack.

Donald Trump’s deeply unpopular war with Iran has now dragged on for more than six months with no end in sight.

The attacks on the Jordan air base arrived as Iran and the U.S. continue to exchange tit-for-tat strikes in the area.

On Tuesday, the U.S. announced it had destroyed five Iranian oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman and near Kharg Island—the Iranian oil hub—after Washington accused Tehran of launching ballistic missiles at a U.S. warship.

In response, Iran said it had attacked 10 ships near the Strait of Hormuz shipping route, as well as firing missiles at U.S. forces stationed at the Al-Azraq base in Jordan.

Tensions have escalated between Iran and U.S. since the two countries resumed fighting late last month for the first time since July.

The fighting has largely centered on control of the Strait—the narrow passageway through which one-fifth of the world’s oil supply passed before the war broke out.

Iran’s closure of the Strait has sent gas prices soaring, diesel costs to record highs, and oil prices repeatedly above $100 a barrel.

The war has also severely dwindled U.S. weapons stockpiles, which could take years to replace. Sources told CBS News that U.S. forces based in Jordan launched more than 30 Patriot missiles while defending against the Iranian attacks on the country.

The longer Trump’s war drags on, the greater the chance of the GOP suffering an electoral wipeout in November’s midterm elections, as the conflict has a knock-on effect on the cost of living.

The 80-year-old president is also facing intense voter backlash on several other fronts, including his dire handling of the economy and rising gas prices.

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Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Trump warned that the war will not end until at least after the midterms, as Iran is holding out on negotiating a peace deal knowing it is politically damaging to the president.

“I think the war’s going to end immediately after the election because they can’t hold out any longer,” Trump said. “They are desperate to try and affect the election, so we can get a nice group of weak people in there, and leave them alone, and let them have their nuclear weapon.”

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