The U.S. Says It Thwarted An Iranian Missile Attack That Ended A Brief Pause In Fighting

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. military announced Tuesday that it shot down an Iranian ballistic missile attack on American forces in the Middle East. shattering a brief pause in the conflict as mediators try to get both sides back to negotiations. In addition, in recent days, American and Saudi forces have hit places in Iraq used by Iran-backed militias to carry out attacks.

U.S. Central Command said all Iranian missiles had been successfully intercepted, adding that U.S. forces were “alert and in a high state of readiness.”

The United States and Iran experienced a period of calm in which they did not announce attacks for days after weeks of escalation over the strategic Strait of Hormuz, the Persian Gulf waterway and the narrow passage through which 20% of the world’s oil normally flows.

There has been no US military statement or comment from Tehran yet regarding the attacks.

The resumption of hostilities comes at the end of a month marked by US President Donald Trump’s many war-related pressure points. As four US soldiers have died during the conflict in recent weeks, the Pentagon has asked an increasingly skeptical Congress for money to cover the rising costs of the conflict.

High gas prices resulting from the continued closure of the Strait of Hormuz are raising fears that Republicans will be vulnerable in November’s midterm elections. Parliament narrowly passed the suspension resolution US military operation against Iran Last week, he sent Trump another warning, reflecting that the war is unpopular with many Americans.

Trump has repeatedly sidestepped threats to destroy bridges, power plants and other infrastructure, but told Fox News Channel in an interview earlier Tuesday that he knows Iran will “finish the job” if its leaders don’t make a deal to end the war.

Iran had effectively closed the strait by opening fire on or threatening cargo ships and tankers off the coast when the war began. After signing a contract temporary ceasefire agreement A war broke out for control of the strait in June.

Iran demanded that the ships use the route close to its coastline and said it could do so. potential fee charging. When Iran attacked some of the ships, they were sailing an increasingly southern route along the coast of Oman as part of a US surveillance operation.

American and Saudi forces have in recent days struck areas in Iraq used by Iran-backed militias to launch attacks, the U.S. military said Tuesday.

“U.S. and Saudi warplanes struck multiple terrorist logistics and weapons sites in eastern Iraq in a forceful response to more than 30 IRGC-directed drone strikes over the past 72 hours,” U.S. Central Command said in a statement, using the acronym for Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard.

The statement stated that the Revolutionary Guard and its terrorist proxies must stop these attacks to prevent further US military intervention.

The timing of the individual U.S. military actions was not immediately clear.

Saudi Arabia announced early Tuesday that Iranian-backed militias in Iraq shot down drones trying to target oil facilities in the eastern part of the country for the second day. Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi ordered security agencies to investigate after the Saudis claimed a similar attack on Monday.

Saudi Arabia said early Tuesday that it had shot down drones fired by Iran-backed militias in Iraq for a second day, while Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen claimed to have forced a Saudi oil tanker to turn back as part of their own operation. peculiar blockade your kingdom.

The kingdom’s Ministry of Defense said in a statement that its air defenses intercepted and destroyed several drones that tried to target oil facilities in the country’s eastern region. It was stated that the attacks were “once again launched from Iraqi territory and carried out by terrorist militias affiliated with Iran.”

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi ordered security agencies to investigate after the Saudis claimed a similar attack on Monday. The Iraqi military said in a statement that Iraq was “determined to prevent Iraqi territory from being used as a route or starting point for any attacks targeting sister or friendly countries.”

Iraqi militias have denied any role in the drone attacks. The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an umbrella group of Iran-backed armed groups, called the Saudi claims “fabricated” and implied that Monday’s attacks were carried out by the Houthis, who claim to have attacked Saudi oil facilities.

Meanwhile, the Houthis claim to have fired missiles at the Saudi oil tanker NCC Ghazal, forcing it to turn back. Last week, they announced a blockade of Saudi shipping, putting at risk another key Middle Eastern waterway to the Red Sea via the Bab al-Mandeb Strait.

The UK’s Merchant Marine Operations Center said a tanker reported hearing explosions while traveling in the southern Red Sea. The name of the tanker was not given, but it was stated that the crew and the ship were safe.

rebels At least one Saudi tanker was fired upon Last week in the Red Sea.

Iran and the United States took a break from fighting over the weekend, but tensions remain high even as officials say mediators are making progress in getting the two sides back to talks.

Iran said early Tuesday: Earlier in the escalation, he said, US strikes destroyed an airport and a maritime control tower and damaged 12 bridges and two tunnels, among other infrastructure.

Iran’s surprise attack hit Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu He visited Washington and Trump. The United States and Israel launched a war against Iran on February 28, but Israel has not featured prominently in recent conflicts with the Islamic Republic.

Netanyahu said that he had an “excellent” meeting with Trump at the White House, that this was their first meeting since the start of the war and that it offered Netanyahu a chance to correct the situation. tensions in their relationships.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the closed-door meeting lasted about an hour and a half and was “positive and productive.” The White House did not immediately offer further details.

This comes at a time when both leaders face increasing pressure at home. Netanyahu is up for re-election and is in a difficult position, in part because of his worsening relationship with Trump. Trump under pressure to end deal unpopular war there is this It caused economic devastation And prices are higher Ahead of the midterm elections in November.

US ability to intervene Iran’s impending attacks have become an increasingly prominent problem, as lawmakers, military members and experts voice concerns about the country’s dwindling stockpile of missile interceptors.

Sean Parnell, the Pentagon’s chief spokesman, pushed back on those concerns, saying in a statement that the U.S. military “has everything we need to execute whenever and wherever the president chooses.”

The Pentagon also said it was creating a new, separate category in the official casualty calculation for those killed and wounded in the U.S.-Iran conflict because “Operation Epic Rage,” the military’s official name for combat operations in Iran, had already concluded.

The Defense Casualty Analysis System removed four soldiers killed and dozens of soldiers injured in the latest conflict from its war tally in Iran, placing them in a new category called “Overseas Operations.”

Associated Press journalists Konstantin Toropin and Darlene Superville in Washington and Christopher Weber in Los Angeles contributed to this report.