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Iran and US trade strikes, shattering brief lull in fighting

News imageHandout photo by US. Navy via Getty Images A US military ship is seen in the foreground in the Arabian Sea in April, while another ship is seen in the background.Handout photo by US. Navy via Getty Images
A US military ship is seen in the foreground in the Arabian Sea in April.

Iran launched "multiple" ballistic missiles in an "attempted surprise attack" on American forces in the Middle East, the US military said, shattering a lull in the fighting.

The attack occurred at 17:45 EDT (21:45 GMT) on Tuesday, with all missiles "successfully intercepted", said US Central Command (Centcom), which did not disclose any locations of targets.

The US military and Saudi Arabian forces meanwhile struck "Iran-aligned terrorists" in Iraq in retaliation for Iranian-directed drone attacks, according to Centcom.

Tehran has not yet commented. The alleged assault occurred during a break in hostilities between theUS and Iran, which was designed to bring negotiators back to the table.

The US and Saudi Arabia struck "multiple terrorist logistics and weapons sites" in eastern Iraq, according to Centcom.

The US military said this was in response to Iran allegedly directing 30 "aerial drone attacks in the last 72 hours".

The crossfire threatens to end the brief pause in hostilities.

US President Donald Trump spoke on Monday of "very friendly negotiations" with Iran, after the two sides had not exchanged strikes for a third straight day.

"I think there's a good chance that something could happen," Trump said, while adding that the US could "go back to doing what we were doing" before the break in hostilities.

Access and control of the Strait of Hormuz remains a key sticking point in the talks.

The latest strikes coincided with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to Washington, where he met Trump at the White House and attended the funeral of US Senator Lindsey Graham, a prominent Iran hawk.

Also on Tuesday, Saudi Arabian Defence Ministry spokesman Major General Turki al-Maliki said their military had intercepted and destroyed several drones targeting patroleum facilities in the country's eastern region.

The statement alleged the drones were launched from Iraqi territory, and were perpetrated by Iran-affiliated militia groups.

At least 624 US military service members have been wounded since Trump ordered strikes against Iran in February, according to recent Pentagon data.

The Pentagon said 417 of those personnel were injured in relation to Operation Epic Fury, the joint US-Israeli military operation against Iran.