Hundreds of Jordanian political, legal, academic, tribal and cultural figures have signed an open letter demanding the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Jordan and a review of the kingdom’s security agreement with Washington, in what analysts describe as a rare public challenge to Amman’s long‑standing alliance with the United States.
The letter, circulated last week, argues that the American military presence “exposes Jordan to security, political, and economic risks that serve no national interest and increases the likelihood of our country being dragged into a regional conflict to which it is not a party,” according to reporting by The New York Times and other outlets.
Core demands and sovereignty argument
Signatories call on the government to cancel or substantially revise the bilateral security arrangement that allows U.S. troops to operate from Jordanian bases, including the strategic Muwaffaq Salti airbase near Azraq. They frame the demand as a matter of national responsibility and sovereignty, warning that hosting foreign forces makes Jordan a target for Iranian missiles and drones and risks entangling the kingdom in a wider regional war.
Political activist Sufyan al‑Tell, one of the prominent signatories, told The New York Times that Jordan’s capabilities were being “exploited…one way or another to defend Israel,” reflecting a broader sentiment that the country is bearing disproportionate costs for a foreign power.
Scale of support and media blackout
The letter was signed by hundreds of figures from across Jordan’s political, legal and tribal spectrum. Al‑Tell said that after its release, hundreds more added their names despite perceived risks, underscoring the depth of discontent among parts of the elite.
However, the text was not published by any Jordanian media outlet. Signatories and observers told The New York Times and other outlets that this reflects both government directives not to disseminate the letter and widespread self‑censorship in the local press.
Regional and Israeli reactions
Israeli analyst Ronen Yitzhak told The Jerusalem Post that the letter is “exactly what Iran intended” when it launched missiles at Jordan and Gulf states earlier in the conflict: to pressure local populations to demand the removal of the American presence and sow discord inside Jordan. Even so, Yitzhak assessed that King Abdullah retains constitutional sovereignty and is unlikely to change Jordan’s broader policy toward the West on the basis of the letter alone.
Earlier statement on “neutrality”
The open letter follows a related statement issued around July 22 by more than 100–130 Jordanian national, political, academic, cultural and tribal figures. That earlier appeal called on the government to cancel or submit to parliament the security agreement with the United States and to adopt “genuine neutrality,” keeping strategic infrastructure out of regional military use.
Both documents share the same core message: that Jordan should not be drawn into a regional war and that its security policy must be reoriented to protect national sovereignty.
Strategic context
Jordan hosts roughly 4,000 U.S. troops and serves as a key hub for American military operations in the Middle East, including airbases used for strikes and logistics in Iraq, Syria and beyond. The letter’s authors argue that this role has become untenable in the current regional climate, where Iranian retaliation and cross‑border attacks raise the risk of Jordan being targeted directly.