USA intercept Iranian missiles targeting US bases in the Middle East

According to information from the US news portal "Axios," the missiles flew toward a US base in Jordan. Centcom spoke in its statement of a surprise attack by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards on American units stationed in the region.

Drone attacks as background

The US forces responded, according to their own statements, simultaneously to a surge in drone attacks over the past 72 hours. According to the information, there had been more than 30 drone attacks during this period, which were controlled by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards. The Revolutionary Guards and their "terroristischen Stellvertreter" must cease the attacks to avoid further US military responses, the command said.

This was preceded by a phase of mutual violence. After 13 nights of new US airstrikes on Iran and retaliatory attacks by Tehran, both sides had previously reported no mutual attacks since Friday of last week. The renewed missile fire on Tuesday evening breaks through this brief phase of calm.

Trump sees chance for agreement

US President Donald Trump spoke on Monday of a "guten Chance" for an agreement with Tehran. He told the portal "Axios": "Wir sind in sehr tiefgehenden Verhandlungen mit dem Iran". The talks are reportedly being conducted directly between Washington and the Iranian government.

Patriot missiles at the center of talks

According to the "New York Times," the negotiations focus primarily on air defense munitions such as Patriot missiles. The background, according to information from the network CNN, is that US munitions are reportedly running low. This bottleneck is being discussed as a possible reason for the temporary halt in attacks over the past few days.

Parallel attacks on pro-Iranian militias in Iraq

In addition, the US is undertaking further military steps in the region. As the US military announced, the United States and Saudi Arabia attacked positions of pro-Iranian militias in Iraq. These attacks were directed against allies of Tehran beyond Iran.

The situation in the region thus remains complex. While diplomatic channels between Washington and Tehran are open on one side, there are simultaneously military confrontations involving both Iranian units and pro-Iranian militias in Iraq. The Yemeni Houthi militias, which are considered Iranian proxies, had recently attacked a Saudi tanker in the Red Sea.

According to the US military's account, the ballistic missile incident on Tuesday was completely repelled. Centcom emphasized that no US soldier was harmed and that the air defense had destroyed all incoming missiles. The command assessed the incident as evidence of the effectiveness of the deployed systems.

Reactions and open questions

Observers point out that the temporal proximity between the diplomatic signals from the White House and the military incident is remarkable. Just on Monday, Trump had highlighted the chances for an agreement, before the Revolutionary Guards launched the fire on Tuesday evening. This sequence could indicate that the Iranian leadership is not acting as a unified actor.

The negotiations over air defense munitions are likely to gain significance against the backdrop of the latest incident. Patriot systems are considered a central component of US defense against ballistic missiles and are also operated by allies in the region such as Saudi Arabia and Jordan. Should the US deliver Patriot missiles to Iran, this would be a remarkable foreign policy step with significant regional implications.

It remains unclear whether the fire on Tuesday evening will affect the ongoing talks. Official statements from the White House or the Iranian Foreign Ministry on the incident were not initially available. Nothing was initially known about possible retaliatory measures by the US either.

The news was broadcast on July 29, 2026, on the program Deutschlandfunk. Reports on the events are based, among other things, on statements from Centcom as well as reports from the "New York Times," the network CNN, and the portal "Axios." The dpa agency distributed the report via its news channel.

Military experts see in the repelled attack a sign of Tehran's ongoing willingness to seek direct confrontation with the US. At the same time, the successful defense shows that the US forces stationed in the Middle East have effective protection systems. The coming days will show whether the incident affects or accelerates the diplomatic efforts.

Overall, the situation in the Middle East remains highly unstable. The combination of ongoing airstrikes on Iran, retaliatory strikes by Tehran, drone attacks on US facilities, and now a direct ballistic attack on US bases illustrates the risk of escalation. At the same time, the diplomatic channels between Washington and Tehran apparently hold.