"Attempted surprise attack": Iran launches ballistic missiles against US forces; CENTCOM says "all intercepted"
Washington, DC, July 29
Iran on Tuesday launched multiple ballistic missiles toward US military forces in the Middle East, which the US Central Command described as an "attempted surprise attack."
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 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. All Iranian missiles were successfully intercepted," the post read.
CENTCOM added that the US forces remain "vigilant and at a high state of readiness."
Meanwhile, Axios reported that Iran launched multiple ballistic missiles toward a US military base in Jordan on Tuesday, marking Iran's first attack against a US base in the region since Trump halted the strikes against Tehran last Friday for diplomatic resolutions.
Following the attack, governments across the Gulf stepped forward to denounce hostile actions directed at Jordan. Both Kuwait and Qatar issued vehement condemnations over Iranian attacks targeting Jordanian territory.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kuwait expressed the state's strongest denunciation of the strikes, characterising them as a flagrant violation of Jordan's sovereignty, territorial integrity, and a direct threat to regional security and stability.
In an official statement posted on X, Kuwait's MoFA wrote, "The Ministry affirms the State of Kuwait's full solidarity with the sister Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, its standing by its side, and its support for all measures it takes to protect its security, sovereignty, and the safety of its people."
Qatar likewise underscored its total solidarity with the sister kingdom, emphasising its backing of all security measures implemented by Jordanian leadership to defend the country.
"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs expresses the State of Qatar's condemnation and strongest denunciation of the repeated attacks that targeted the sister Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan using drones, in flagrant violation of its sovereignty and the integrity of its territories, and a direct threat to its security and stability," the post read.
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.
Earlier in the day, 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.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Our Indian diaspora in the Gulf must be worried sick every time this happens. So many of our people working in hospitals, construction, and oil fields there. I wish the UN would step in and de-escalate instead of just watching.
Interesting how just hours before this, Trump was threatening to "finish the job" against Iran. It's almost like Iran responded to that rhetoric. As an Indian, I hope our government keeps talking to all sides for energy security. Crude prices will spike again, mark my words.
As an American living in Mumbai for work, I just want to say—your country's cautious approach to this conflict is wise. We should have learned from Iraq and Afghanistan. War is not the answer.
Kuwait and Qatar condemning this attack is good, but let's be honest—the entire region is a tinderbox. Iran's aggression is reckless, but America's constant "regime change" talk doesn't help either. The common citizen in Tehran or Amman just wants peace. 🕊️
India has historical ties with Iran and also good relations with the Gulf states. This is why our foreign policy needs to be extremely careful. We buy oil from both sides, and our workers are everywhere. Please, no war in our neighborhood. 🙏
R Ravi K