Returned to open conflict after a temporary peace framework collapsed

Iran launched 'attempted surprise attack' on US forces, CENTCOM says

The two countries have returned to open conflict after a temporary peace framework collapsed earlier this month.

By Emilio Perez Ibarguen

Iran launched “multiple missiles” at U.S. forces based in the Middle East Tuesday evening that were successfully intercepted, the Pentagon said, marking a return to fighting after a short respite over the weekend.

U.S. Central Command, in a social media post Tuesday night, said the launches were an “attempted surprise attack.” The post did not provide additional details about the intercepted attack, and CENTCOM declined to provide further comment when reached by POLITICO.

The attacks come after U.S. forces conducted 13 consecutive days of strikes against Iran, which concluded on Thursday, according to the Defense Department. Most of those strikes were characterized by the Pentagon as attacks meant to weaken Iran’s grasp on the Strait of Hormuz — a key waterway for much of the world’s energy supply and a frequent sticking point in peace negotiations.

Fighting resumed this month after a temporary peace framework between the two countries fell apart following Iranian attacks on shipping vessels moving through the strait, which led to U.S. strikes in retaliation.

The U.S. has not publicly said whether retaliatory strikes will be ordered for this most recent attack.

On Wednesday, Trump threatened to begin striking “one bridge or power plant” for every ship attacked in the Arabian Gulf — though the Geneva Conventions prohibit strikes on civilian infrastructure acknowledged to be “indispensable to the survival of the civilian population.”

And the war, which has proven immensely unpopular at home amid rising gas prices and the deaths of American soldiers, shows few signs of ending soon. President Donald Trump has repeatedly claimed to reporters and in public addresses that Iran is desperate to negotiate for a ceasefire, but Iran’s refusal to capitulate as Trump steps up threats of attacks from the skies appear to some to be demonstrative of the limits of an air war alone.

Also on Tuesday, CENTCOM announced that U.S. and Saudi forces struck sites belonging to “Iran-aligned terrorists” in eastern Iraq, in retaliation for attacks on U.S. forces and Saudi energy infrastructure over the past three days.

The strikes do not appear to be directly related to the earlier Iranian attack.

“The unwarranted attacks against U.S. forces were not successful,” the announcement stated.