The U.S. military said it intercepted an Iranian ballistic missile attack on American forces in the Middle East on Tuesday, ending a brief lull in fighting just as mediators were pushing both sides back towards negotiations. Separately, American and Saudi aircraft struck sites in eastern Iraq used by Iran-backed militias, in response to a wave of recent drone attacks. The renewed violence underscores how fragile efforts to de-escalate the conflict remain, and comes as President Trump faces mounting domestic pressure over the war's cost and duration.

According to U.S. Central Command, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces fired multiple ballistic missiles at 5:45pm ET, all of which were successfully intercepted; there was no immediate comment from Tehran. The strikes on Iraq followed more than 30 drone attacks attributed to the Guard over 72 hours, with Saudi Arabia saying it had shot down militia drones for a second consecutive day. The conflict has centred on control of the Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly a fifth of global oil flows, and has already cost four American troops their lives, driven up petrol prices, and prompted a narrow House vote to halt U.S. military action, reflecting growing unease in Congress ahead of November's midterm elections.