Iran launches ‘attempted surprise attack’ on American forces in Middle East, US military says
The US military said Iran launched “multiple” ballistic missiles in an “attempted surprise attack” on American forces in the Middle East, breaking a lull in hostilities.
US Central Command (Centcom) said the attack took place at 5:45 PM EDT (21:45 GMT) on Tuesday and that all missiles were “successfully intercepted”.
US military and Saudi Arabian forces, meanwhile, struck “Iran-linked terrorists” in Iraq in retaliation for Iranian-directed drone strikes, according to Centcom.
Tehran has not yet commented. The reported crossfire will end a brief lapse in hostilities between the two sides The US and Iran are designed to bring negotiators back to the table.
According to Centcom, the US and Saudi Arabia struck “numerous terrorist logistics and weapons facilities” in eastern Iraq.
The US military said it was “a strong response to more than 30 IRGC-directed aerial drone strikes over the past 72 hours,” using the acronym for Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Centcom said the Iranian military “and its terrorist proxies must stop these attacks to prevent further U.S. military intervention.”
Earlier on Tuesday, Saudi Arabia announced that its army had captured and destroyed unmanned aerial vehicles targeting oil facilities in the eastern part of the country.
Defense ministry spokesman Major General Turki al-Maliki claimed that the unmanned aerial vehicles were launched by militia groups affiliated with Iran in Iraqi territory.
The renewed hostilities came a day after US President Donald Trump spoke of “very friendly negotiations” with Iran. At this point, the two sides had not exchanged strikes for the third consecutive day.
The pause in the fighting came after 13 nights of continuous bombings by the United States, which it said destroyed tunnels and bridges in southern Iran. It was stated that many people died in the attacks.
Access to and control of the Strait of Hormuz remains a major sticking point in the negotiations, which Tehran denies is even taking place.
Oil prices rose early Wednesday on concerns that an escalation of conflict could further disrupt energy shipments across the Bosphorus.
In morning trade in Asia, global benchmark Brent crude was up 4.3% at $87.70 (£65.98) a barrel, while US-traded oil was up 4.2% at $82.62 a barrel.
The latest attacks coincided with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to Washington, where he met Trump at the White House and attended the funeral of leading Iran hawk U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham.
At least 624 US military members have been injured since Trump ordered the attack on Iran in February, according to the latest data from the Pentagon.
The Pentagon said 417 of these personnel were injured during Operation Epic Fury, the joint US-Israeli military operation against Iran.
