Iran launched multiple ballistic missiles at US forces based in Jordan in an “attempted surprise attack” on Tuesday, shattering a brief lull in hostilities that had raised hopes of a negotiated end to the conflict.
All missiles were successfully intercepted, US Central Command (Centcom) said. The attack came at 5:45pm ET (9:45pm GMT), moments after a day in which Donald Trump had spoken of “very friendly negotiations” with Tehran.
“Iran launched multiple ballistic missiles at US forces in Jordan, all intercepted, shattering a brief lull after Trump paused strikes for talks.”
“Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces launched multiple ballistic missiles from Iran in an attempted surprise attack on US forces based in the Middle East,” Centcom said in a statement. “All Iranian missiles were successfully intercepted. US forces remain vigilant and at a high state of readiness.”
The strike ended three consecutive days without exchanges between the two sides, a pause Trump had initiated on Friday to allow negotiators to return to the table. The US president had warned on Monday that he would resume “very strong military action” if talks collapsed, telling Axios: “Either it goes fast or not at all.”
In a coordinated response, the US and Saudi Arabia struck “multiple terrorist logistics and weapons sites” in eastern Iraq, targeting what Centcom called “Iran-aligned terrorists” in retaliation for Iran-directed drone attacks. The US military said the action was “a strong response to over 30 IRGC-directed aerial drone attacks in the last 72 hours”.
Earlier on Tuesday, Saudi Arabia said its military had intercepted and destroyed drones targeting petroleum facilities in the country’s eastern region. Defence ministry spokesman Major General Turki al-Maliki alleged the drones were launched by Iran-affiliated militia groups in Iraqi territory.
The latest escalation comes as access and control of the Strait of Hormuz remains a key sticking point in talks, which Tehran has denied are even happening. The strait was reopened to commercial shipping on June 17 after a memorandum of understanding, but Iran’s Islamic Guards have since resumed firing on ships.
Trump’s decision to row back on planned strikes last week was reportedly driven by a diminished stockpile of Patriot antimissile interceptors, according to the New York Times. The Pentagon has recorded at least 624 US military service members wounded since February, with 417 of those injured in Operation Epic Fury, the joint US-Israeli operation against Iran.
The attack coincided with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to Washington, where he met Trump at the White House and attended the funeral of US Senator Lindsey Graham, a prominent Iran hawk. Tehran has not yet commented on the latest strikes.
