Aqaba is Jordan’s only coastal city and the Gulf of Aqaba’s largest settlement, a key trade and tourism gateway.
The United States has carried out repeated air and naval strikes across Iran since mid‑July, targeting coastal surveillance, air defences, missile and maritime sites to degrade Tehran's ability to attack shipping. Iran has responded with ballistic missiles, kamikaze drones and strikes on US bases and Gulf allies, disrupting traffic through the Strait of Hormuz and raising global energy market disruption.
Aid deliveries to Sudan and surrounding regions have become more costly and delayed as oil price volatility and shipping disruptions linked to the Iran conflict press on fuel, insurance, and transport routes. UNHCR and major agencies say humanitarian operations are tightening amid funding gaps and port congestion.
The United States and Iran have escalated their conflict, with US strikes targeting Iran's military facilities and Iran retaliating across the region. The death toll has risen, with at least 17 US service members killed and many injured as the war enters a new, more dangerous phase.