(TNND) \u2014 The United States and Saudi Arabia launched retaliatory strikes Tuesday after what officials described as a “surprise attack” by Iran on military bases in the Middle East, ending a brief pause in the escalating conflict.<\/p>\n
U.S. Central Command<\/a> (CENTCOM) said Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) launched multiple ballistic missiles at U.S. forces in the region, but all of them were intercepted.<\/p>\n “All Iranian missiles were successfully intercepted<\/a>. U.S. forces remain vigilant and at a high state of readiness,” CENTCOM said.<\/p>\n Jordan’s military also said it intercepted and destroyed five Iranian missiles early Wednesday. Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency said the missiles targeted the Muwaffaq Salti Air Base and U.S. Central Command headquarters in Jordan.<\/p>\n In response, U.S. and Saudi forces carried out precision strikes against Iranian-aligned militants in Iraq, targeting logistics and weapons sites, according to the U.S. military.<\/p>\n U.S. and Saudi fighter aircraft struck multiple terrorist logistics and weapons sites across eastern Iraq in a strong response to over 30 IRGC-directed aerial drone attacks in the last 72 hours,” the military said. “The unwarranted attacks against U.S. forces were not successful.<\/p>\n Tuesday’s exchange shattered a short lull in the fighting after the Trump administration paused additional strikes over the weekend while signaling it wanted to give diplomacy a chance. Last week, President Donald Trump said the U.S. was “locked and loaded”<\/a> for a potential military strike on Iran if negotiations failed.<\/p>\n