US says it intercepts Iranian “surprise attack” in Middle East
The US Central Command (CENTCOM) said the missiles were fired by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) at around 5:45pm Eastern Time. According to the US military, all the incoming missiles were intercepted before they could reach their targets.
In a statement shared on social media, CENTCOM said, “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.”
The military added, “All Iranian missiles were successfully intercepted. US forces remain vigilant and at a high state of readiness.”
A US official told CNN that initial assessments suggested Iran launched no more than four ballistic missiles during the attack. Officials are continuing to review the incident to confirm the exact number of missiles fired.
The reported missile attack came about a day after US President Donald Trump said the United States had halted its strikes on Iran and claimed that Tehran wanted to hold talks.
However, Iran rejected that claim. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said, “We have no negotiations with the United States at present,” denying that any discussions with Washington were taking place.
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President Trump had earlier said there were “good talks” underway with Iran after abruptly ending a two-week US bombing campaign over the weekend. At the same time, he warned that US military strikes could resume if negotiations failed to produce results.
Iran has continued to deny that it is seeking to restart talks with the United States, highlighting the deep differences between the two sides despite recent developments.
The latest missile incident has further heightened tensions in the Middle East, where both countries remain on high military alert. Regional and international observers are closely watching to see whether the situation moves towards renewed diplomacy or further escalation.
