US forces intercepted a surprise ballistic missile attack launched by Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps on a base in Jordan on Tuesday night, US Central Command announced. The interception marks the first military engagement between the two nations since President Trump paused strikes.
The attack occurred at approximately 5:45 p.m. ET. "All Iranian missiles were successfully intercepted. US forces remain vigilant and at a high state of readiness," a statement from US Central Command said.
The incident ended a brief period of calm between the United States and Iran, which had seen neither side announce attacks for several days following weeks of heightened tensions. These earlier escalations had centered around the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial chokepoint through which approximately 20 percent of the world's oil normally flows.
Earlier on Tuesday, Saudi Arabia reported shooting down drones attributed to Iran-backed militias in Iraq for a second consecutive day. Concurrently, Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen claimed responsibility for diverting a Saudi oil tanker as part of their self-styled blockade of the kingdom. The Saudi Defense Ministry stated that air defenses destroyed multiple drones that had attempted to target petroleum facilities in the nation's eastern region, asserting the attacks originated from Iraqi territory and were carried out by Iran-affiliated terrorist militias. Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi ordered an investigation into the claims, while the Iraqi military committed to preventing its territory from being used as a launchpad for attacks against other nations.
Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps had previously claimed that US strikes during an earlier period of escalation destroyed an airport and a marine control tower, and caused damage to bridges and tunnels. The US military had stated at the time that it conducted strikes on numerous military targets in response to Iranian attacks on ships in the Strait of Hormuz.
This engagement follows a diplomatic effort involving Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who met with President Donald Trump and senior members of his administration in Washington on Tuesday. During the meeting, which Netanyahu described as "excellent," discussions touched upon regional security. An Israeli official, speaking anonymously, conveyed that Netanyahu assured Trump that Israel would respond if Iran attacked it but would defer to the President's judgment on subsequent actions.
Concerns regarding the US's capacity to intercept incoming strikes have been highlighted recently. An analysis by the Center for Strategic and International Studies indicated that diminishing stockpiles of Patriot and THAAD interceptors could compel US and allied forces in the Middle East to take greater risks to conserve air defenses. This might involve fewer missile intercepts against incoming threats, thereby increasing the chance of a projectile reaching its target. A Pentagon spokesperson, however, pushed back against these concerns, stating that "America's military is the most powerful in the world and has everything it needs to execute at the time and place of the President's choosing."