The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported this on Saturday, March 21, citing U.S. officials. None of the missiles hit the target. According to two sources, one of them malfunctioned in flight, while a US ship fired an SM-3 missile at the other. It has not yet been determined whether the intercept was carried out.
Meanwhile, the incident is Iran’s first combat use of intermediate-range missiles and its first significant attempt to threaten U.S. interests outside the Middle East, the publication notes.
Iran may have longer-range missiles
The base is located about 4,000 kilometers from Iran. The strike likely means Tehran may have longer-range missiles than it has previously acknowledged, the WSJ further points out.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has previously claimed that Iran has deliberately limited the range of its missiles to a distance of 2,000 kilometers because it does not want to be perceived as a threat.
Earlier, Iranian attacks affected Azerbaijan and EU member Cyprus.
Trump: US may pull out of operation
On March 20, United States President Donald Trump assured on the social network Truth Social that the US military is “very close to achieving” its goals in the war with Iran, in connection with which Washington is “considering curtailing large-scale military operations in the Middle East.”
Iran has responded by attacking neighboring states in the Persian Gulf region with missiles and drones. According to the Islamic Republic’s statements, the targets of these attacks are U.S. military bases in the region. Iranian strikes have also targeted oil storage facilities in a number of Persian Gulf countries and oil tankers.
