US Central Command (Centcom) said all the incoming missiles were destroyed before reaching their intended targets.

In a statement posted on social media, Centcom said, "At 5:45 p.m. ET today, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces launched multiple ballistic missiles from Iran in an attempted surprise attack on US forces based in the Middle East."

"All Iranian missiles were successfully intercepted. US forces remain vigilant and at a high state of readiness."

The attempted strike unfolded just hours after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held talks with US President Donald Trump at the White House, where the two leaders focused on Iran's nuclear programme and regional security. Both reaffirmed their commitment to preventing Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons.

Following the meeting, a senior Israeli official said Netanyahu believes Israel has "no choice" but to launch fresh military strikes against Iran, describing his discussions with Trump as "very good and very positive".

The White House meeting came amid growing speculation that Israel and the US were weighing fresh action against Iran before Tehran launched its attempted surprise missile strike.

Attack follows Trump's remarks on Iran

The missile launch came roughly a day after US President Donald Trump said Washington had halted strikes on Iran and claimed Tehran wanted to resume talks.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei appeared to reject that assertion, saying, "We have no negotiations with the United States at present."

The attempted strike ended a multi-day pause in fighting that had followed nearly two weeks of nightly exchanges between Iran and the US.

Trump shares video 

Following the missile attack, Trump shared a video on social media with the caption, "Finish this fight." In the video, he is seen walking as a voiceover says, "People have asked me, please, please, please, Mr. President, we're winning too much. We can't take it anymore. We're not used to winning."

Further escalation as Saudi Arabia launches strikes in Iraq

Saudi Arabia said it carried out "limited, targeted strikes" alongside the US on Wednesday against Iran-backed militias in Iraq, saying the groups were linked to attacks on Saudi oil facilities, according to a statement from the Kingdom's Ministry of Defence.

Earlier in the day, the ministry said Saudi air defences had intercepted and destroyed several drones launched from Iraq that were targeting oil facilities in the country's eastern region.

In a separate statement, US Central Command said US and Saudi "fighter aircraft struck multiple terrorist logistics and weapons sites across eastern Iraq" in response to continued drone attacks.