President Trump declared the United States had already “beat them” after Iran's Revolutionary Guard launched a surprise ballistic missile barrage at American forces in the Middle East — only for every single incoming rocket to be swatted out of the sky.

US Central Command said the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps fired multiple ballistic missiles from Iranian soil at 5:45 p.m. ET Tuesday in a brazen attempted ambush on American troops — the first such attack since Trump announced he had paused strikes on Tehran just a day earlier.

Every missile was intercepted. No US casualties were reported.

“All Iranian missiles were successfully intercepted,” CENTCOM announced. “US forces remain vigilant and at a high state of readiness.”

'We beat them'

Trump, who had told Americans the day before that the US had halted its bombing campaign and that Iran wanted to talk, was blunt in the wake of Tehran's broken promise.

The president insisted the United States had already beaten the regime — and signalled the strikes would resume with a vengeance.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei had appeared to contradict Trump's ceasefire optimism just hours earlier, snapping: “We have no negotiations with the United States at present.”

So much for the olive branch.

Surprise attack — foiled

A US official told reporters there were no more than four ballistic missiles in the Iranian salvo, according to initial estimates.

The IRGC later claimed through state media Press TV that it had targeted US military installations in Jordan — a claim CENTCOM did not detail.

The ambush came barely 24 hours after Trump said the US had stood down and that the Islamic Republic was ready to deal.

Instead, Tehran went for the jugular — and missed.

Saudi Arabia joins the fight

In a striking escalation, the US and Saudi Arabia launched joint precision strikes against Iran-aligned militias across eastern Iraq — the first time Riyadh has openly claimed responsibility for hitting targets inside Iraq since the Iran-US war began.

US and Saudi fighter aircraft pounded “multiple terrorist logistics and weapons sites” in response to more than 30 IRGC-directed drone attacks in the previous 72 hours.

“This is a clear message that we will not let those attempts go unanswered,” a US official told CNN.

The Popular Mobilization Forces, an Iran-aligned Iraqi militia umbrella, confirmed several of its bases were hit, with an unspecified number of people killed and wounded.

Oil spikes, markets rattle

The surprise attack sent shockwaves through global energy markets.

Oil prices surged 5% after CENTCOM confirmed the interception, with the US benchmark WTI jumping 4.11% to $83 a barrel — partially reversing a Monday tumble that followed Trump's pause announcement.

A day of diplomacy — and a funeral

The missile drama unfolded on a day already thick with diplomatic heavy lifting.

Trump hosted back-to-back closed-door White House meetings with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Netanyahu later described his sit-down with the president as “one of the best conversations” the two leaders have had, citing close coordination on Iran.

All three leaders later attended the funeral for Sen. Lindsey Graham at the Washington National Cathedral.

What's next

Trump's message was unmistakable: the US had already humbled Iran once, and was ready to do it again.

After months of strikes, a February school strike tragedy that killed 168 children and 14 adults, and a string of declared “victories,” the latest Iranian salvo suggests the regime is far from finished — even if its missiles can't reach their targets.

For now, the interceptors hold. The oil price spikes. And the president insists the score is already settled.

I News Australia is an officially accredited media delegation covering the diplomatic and defence activities of the United States government.