The United States military says it successfully intercepted a surprise ballistic missile attack launched by Iran against American forces stationed in the Middle East, with no casualties or damage reported.
In a statement released on Tuesday, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said the missiles were fired by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in what it described as an attempted surprise attack.
“At 5:45 p.m. ET today, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces launched multiple ballistic missiles from Iran in an attempted surprise attack on US forces based in the Middle East.
All Iranian missiles were successfully intercepted. US forces remain vigilant and at a high state of readiness,” CENTCOM said.
A US official told CNN that preliminary assessments indicated no more than four ballistic missiles were launched during the attack.
The attempted strike came about a day after US President Donald Trump said Washington had halted military strikes on Iran and claimed Tehran had expressed interest in talks.
However, Iran’s Foreign Ministry appeared to reject that assertion. Speaking shortly after Trump’s remarks, Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said, “We have no negotiations with the United States at present.”
The latest missile launch highlights the fragile security situation in the region despite recent signals suggesting a possible easing of tensions between Washington and Tehran.
