Iran targets US troops in surprise missile attack in Middle East; US, Saudi forces hit Iran-backed terrorists in Iraq

Iran launched multiple ballistic missiles targeting US military forces in the Middle East, in what the US Central Command (CENTCOM) described as an “attempted surprise attack.” The strike marks Iran’s first direct attack on a US military base in the region since US President Donald Trump paused planned military strikes against Tehran last Friday to allow diplomatic efforts to continue.

The strikes came hours after US President Donald Trump hosted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House for high-level talks which focused heavily on Iran.

All Iranian missiles intercepted: CENTCOM 

In a post on X, CENTCOM stated that the US Air defence systems successfully intercepted all incoming projectiles fired by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). “At 5:45 pm 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,” CENTCOM said.

CENTCOM added that the US forces remain “vigilant and at a high state of readiness.”

US, Saudi forces carried out strikes in Iraq

Meanwhile, American and Saudi forces carried out strikes against Iran-backed terrorists in Iraq who launched more than two dozen drone attacks in recent days, the US military said.

According to CENTCOM, the strikes targeted “Iran-aligned terrorists that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) directed to attack US forces and Saudi energy infrastructure.”

“US and Saudi fighter aircraft struck multiple terrorist logistics and weapons sites across eastern Iraq in a strong response to over 30 IRGC-directed aerial drone attacks in the last 72 hours,” US Central Command said in a statement.

 

It said that the unwarranted attacks against US forces were not successful. “From February through April 2026, there were more than 600 attempted attacks on US citizens and facilities by Iran-aligned terrorist militias in Iraq,” it said. 

It further warned that “the IRGC and its terrorist proxies must cease these attacks to avoid further US military response.”

Earlier, Trump warned of further military action against Iran again, saying he could target key infrastructure, including bridges and power plants, if Tehran fails to reach a deal with Washington.

In an interview with Fox News, Trump said that if Iran does not agree to a deal, the US could resume military operations and “finish the job”. “If they don’t make a deal, then I go back, and I finish the job. But that’s going to take them forever to rebuild. Already, it’ll take them many years to ever to rebuild,” Trump said. 

Trump said that targeting Iran’s bridges would be an option, adding that such strikes could be carried out quickly. “And if I go back and finish up the job, as some people would like, with the bridges…very easy, I could take out most of their bridges in less than an hour, less than an hour,” he said.

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