Iran launches 'surprise' attack on U.S. forces; missiles intercepted

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(The Center Square) — Iran launched a missile strike on U.S. bases in the Middle East Wednesday night, according to U.S. Central Command, who said the strike failed.

CENTCOM described it as “an attempted surprise attack,” adding that all Iranian missiles “were successfully intercepted.”

Multiple reports from the region indicate the attack was directed at the Muwaffaq Al Salti air base in Jordan.

The attack comes just a day after President Donald Trump claimed that the Islamic Republic was interested in returning to the negotiating table.

During a rally in Michigan Monday, the president said, “friendly talks are underway” with Iran but warned the U.S. could still “cripple Iran with full force.”

After hitting Iran for 13 consecutive days, the U.S. paused strikes Friday and has not hit the country since.

The president indicated to reporters Monday that the most recent rounds of strikes may have persuaded Iran to return to the negotiating table.

“We’ve pretty much destroyed their military. They want to meet, and we’re meeting. We’ll see what happens. There’s a chance we could make a deal. Without what we did, they wouldn’t even be talking to us,” Trump told reporters.

Iran publicly refuted claims Monday it is seeking a deal.

“That does not accord with our principles. Claims that Iran has requested negotiations are merely reports,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said during a press briefing carried by the semi-official Mehr news agency.

Trump appears cautious after months of back-and-forth with the Iranian regime, which eventually led to the signing of a memorandum of understanding on June 17.

However, not long after the signing, Iran violated the agreement by refusing to open the Strait of Hormuz, including the targeting of commercial cargo ships.

The U.S. reinstated the full naval blockade on Iranian ports, putting the squeeze on the Islamic Republic’s economy, which the Trump administration estimates is costing the country between $400 and $500 million a day in losses.

This is a developing story.