Trump said Iran talks were going “very well” on Friday, but hours later Iran struck a Saudi base and sent 10 American troops to the hospital

Iran launched a strike on a military base in Saudi Arabia, injuring at least 10 American troops and damaging several aircraft, just hours after President Trump said talks to end the conflict were going “very well.” The strike hit Prince Sultan Air Base, leaving two service members seriously hurt, according to U.S. officials. Several refuelling aircraft also sustained damage in the attack.

President Donald Trump had also said he was giving Tehran more time to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Iran, however, continues to deny that any formal negotiations are taking place. The attack threw a major obstacle in the way of any de-escalation efforts.

According to CBC, the Iranian strike came in direct retaliation for earlier Israeli strikes on two of Iran’s nuclear facilities. Iranian state media confirmed that the Shahid Khondab heavy water complex in Arak and the Ardakan yellowcake production plant in Yazd Province were targeted. 

The conflict is rapidly spreading beyond Iran and Israel, pulling in multiple countries across the region

Israel’s military said the Yazd plant strike was a significant blow to Iran’s ability to process raw materials for enrichment, while Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization stated there were no casualties or risk of contamination.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi posted on X, declaring, “Iran will exact HEAVY price for Israeli crimes.” IRGC Aerospace Force commander Seyed Majid Moosavi also warned employees of companies linked to the U.S. and Israel to leave their workplaces, adding, “This time, the equation will no longer be ‘an eye for an eye,’ just wait.” Tensions around Trump’s Iran diplomacy efforts have been building for weeks.

Later that Friday, Iran launched missiles at Israel, triggering sirens around Beer Sheba and near Israel’s main nuclear research center. Emergency crews in Tel Aviv responded to nearly a dozen impact sites, and a man in his 60s died after suffering severe injuries. Witnesses in eastern Tehran also reported a partial power outage following airstrikes.

Saudi Arabia’s Defence Ministry confirmed it shot down missiles and drones targeting Riyadh. Kuwait’s Shuwaikh Port and Mubarak Al Kabeer Port, which is part of China’s Belt and Road initiative, also sustained “material damage.” This appears to be one of the first times a Chinese-affiliated project in the Gulf Arab states has been attacked in this conflict.

On the diplomatic front, Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff said Washington had delivered a 15-point “action list” to Iran through Pakistan, which included restricting Iran’s nuclear program and reopening the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran rejected it and offered its own five-point plan, demanding reparations and recognition of its sovereignty over the waterway. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s position on whether a military strike on Iran remains possible has also drawn significant attention. President Trump has set an April 6 deadline for Iran to reopen the strait, threatening to order the destruction of Iran’s energy plants if they fail to comply.

Since the war began, over 1,100 people have been killed in Lebanon and more than 1,900 in Iran. In Israel, 18 people have died, along with four Israeli soldiers killed in Lebanon. The death toll also includes at least 13 American troops, four people in the occupied West Bank, 20 in Gulf states, and 80 members of Iraq’s security forces, where Iranian-backed militia groups have also joined the fighting.