Beirut: The US Central Command (CENTCOM) said Tuesday that Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) launched multiple ballistic missiles at American forces stationed in the Middle East, but all of them were intercepted. "At 5:45 p.m. ET today, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces launched multiple ballistic missiles from Iran in an attempted surprise attack on U.S. forces based in the Middle East," CENTCOM said in a statement. "All Iranian missiles were successfully intercepted," it added.
According to Anadolu Agency, the statement came after local media reported that Iran launched missiles toward US military bases in Jordan. The command also said that US forces remain "vigilant and at a high state of readiness." The attack marked Iran's first ballistic missile strike on a US base in the region since US President Donald Trump paused military operations last Friday to allow for renewed diplomatic efforts.
Separately, the IRGC confirmed early Wednesday that it had launched ballistic missiles targeting a US air base and central command center in Jordan. "In response to the aggressive actions of the US military, a few hours ago, brave fighters from the IRGC's aerospace division targeted a US air base and central command center in Jordan with several ballistic missiles," it said in a statement. It warned that resistance would continue as long as threats against Iran and US actions against Iranian interests persisted. "The threats from American officials and their illegal interventions against our interests must stop," the statement said.
Earlier, Trump said Washington is currently holding "some very good talks" with Tehran. 'They cannot have a nuclear weapon. Very simple. And they've agreed to that...We have to get them to, you know, make it formal,' he told Fox News, also warning that he could "finish the job" by destroying most major bridges in Iran in hours. Tensions between the US and Iran have escalated in recent weeks, with the US carrying out attacks on Iran and Tehran responding by targeting what it says are US military facilities and equipment in countries across the region.