Iran launched a surprise ballistic missile attack on US forces in the Middle East
Zolfaghar and Qadr missiles along with a metal model of a small submarine are displayed in Azadi Square as the confrontation between Iran and the US, caused by the same routes established in the Strait of Hormuz, escalates day by day in Tehran, Iran on July 24, 2026.
Fatemeh Bahrami Anadolu | Getty Images
Iran targeted US forces in the Middle East with ballistic missiles on Tuesday night, the US Central Command said, reigniting tensions in the region after the warring sides temporarily halted hostilities.
Centcom in a post on X said the attack came from Iran, but all missiles were intercepted. “Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps soldiers fired several missiles from Iran in an attempt to attack US forces stationed in the Middle East.”
Although the US military did not specify the target of the attack, Axios reported that the attack was aimed at a US base in Jordan, citing US officials.
In a statement sent to X, Centcom said US and Saudi forces attacked “several terrorist and weapons sites” in eastern Iraq on Tuesday, in retaliation for more than 30 drone attacks three days ago by “terrorists allied with Iran.”
Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Defense said the strikes were carried out in cooperation with the US Central Command, and added that the kingdom does not want to escalate, but will respond to any violence it faces.
Riyadh said earlier drones launched in Iraq by “terrorists linked to Iran” had tried to target oil facilities in Saudi Arabia.
The Iranian-backed Iraqi Mobilization Forces said in a statement later on Tuesday that at least 20 of its members had been killed in the strikes and 32 wounded.
Tensions have escalated after a two-day standoff in the conflict between Washington and Tehran, sending fat rise, after prices fell for three straight days.
US President Donald Trump has shelved plans to escalate the war against Iran amid concerns over the shrinking number of Patriot interceptors and other air defense weapons in the Middle East, the New York Times reported. Trump dismissed concerns about the stockpile depletion.
Iran has indicated that it will stop attacking as long as the US does not attack, Reuters reported on Sunday, citing a senior Iranian official.
Separately, the UK Maritime Trade Operations Center reported “suspicious activity,” in the Red Sea in the post on X.
The agency said the driver of the truck reported hearing an explosion as it passed through the southern Red Sea, without giving further details. The incident was reported on Monday, and an advisory was issued on Tuesday.
Although it cannot be confirmed that the reported incident was carried out by the Houthi rebels in the Red Sea, but it is known that the rebels attacked two Saudi oil tanks in the area last week, Saudi Arabia is retaliating against the rebels.
The Bab-el Mandeb strait in the Red Sea is an important route for Saudi Arabian oil exports diverted from the Strait of Hormuz and a bottleneck for commercial shipping traffic.
Experts have warned that the closure of Bab el-Mandeb will block those barrels, exacerbating the oil disruption caused by Iran’s attack on the Hormuz tankers.
