The US military's Central Command (CENTCOM) announced that Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) launched multiple ballistic missiles from its territory in an unexpected attack targeting US forces stationed in the Middle East. The incident occurred at 17:45 on 28/7 Eastern time (04:45 on 29/7 Hanoi time). All Iranian missiles were successfully intercepted.
Video footage from security cameras in Jordan showed Patriot batteries continuously firing to intercept the Iranian missiles. A US official told CNN that initial assessments indicated Iran launched no more than 4 ballistic missiles in the attack. OSINTTechnical, an X social media account specializing in open-source intelligence analysis, estimated Iran launched 5 ballistic missiles, with at least 10 Patriot interceptors used in response.
CENTCOM, the agency responsible for US military operations in the Middle East, affirmed that its forces "maintain a high state of alert and readiness", but did not specify which base was attacked. Iranian officials have not yet commented on the information.
The missile attack followed President Donald Trump's announcement one day prior that the US had suspended airstrikes against Iran, adding that Tehran wanted to resume dialogue with Washington. However, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei later denied this. "We currently have no negotiations with the US," he said, adding that while Iran has not abandoned diplomatic avenues, information suggesting Tehran proactively sought talks with Washington was "fabricated".
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Iranian missile leaving its launchpad during a test in 5/2023. *Photo: AP*. |
The latest flare-up comes after a period of renewed hostilities. Following the signing of a memorandum between the US and Iran in mid-6, the Gulf region experienced three weeks of calm. However, clashes reignited from late 6 and intensified from 8/7 when Trump declared the ceasefire "had ended".
The US halted its airstrike campaign last weekend after 13 consecutive nights of attacks on Iran. Concurrently, the Iranian military also announced a halt to its retaliatory strikes against US targets in the Middle East. US media previously reported that Trump decided to halt the operation following recommendations from Admiral Brad Cooper, CENTCOM's leader, and his advisory team.
Sources stated that Admiral Cooper assessed the US had significantly weakened Iran's capacity to attack vessels in the Strait of Hormuz and had almost run out of targets. Meanwhile, Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Caine reportedly warned President Trump about a shortage of air defense missiles in the region.
By Huyen Le (According to AFP, CNN)
