Iran has claimed it targeted a US AWACS aircraft at the Prince Sultan Air Base on Friday (March 28, 2026), as it marked American and Israeli officials and military commanders as legitimate targets in the West Asian war.
Iran’s television channel reported that its military had significantly damaged the United States Air Force aircraft during a retaliatory missile and drone strike on the American-held Prince Sultan air base in Saudi Arabia.
The E-3 AWACS aircraft was stationed at the air base when it came under Iranian attack and was extensively damaged, according to images released by the Iranian Press TV.
The images showed that the aircraft’s head and tail were the only parts left intact by the impact of the Iranian aerial strike carried out using six ballistic missiles and 29 drones.
The Iranian media claimed at least 10 American soldiers were wounded, of whom two were critical. Initial reports after the attack on the Prince Sultan air base noted that several midair refuellers were damaged in the Iranian attack.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) was involved in the attack on the Prince Sultan air base, as part of the military campaign to target American Israeli military infrastructure in the Gulf region.
Iran, on Sunday (March 29), also marked American and Israeli military commanders’ residences in the Gulf region as “legitimate targets” in the month-old West Asian war, vowing to hit enemy-linked facilities.
The Iranian warning, issued by the Iranian Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters spokesperson, further ramps up the escalation ladder in the Gulf War.
The Central Khatam al-Anbiya Headquarters is Iran’s highest operational command unit that coordinates operations between the Army and the IRGC.
The warning came after US President Donald Trump targeted the Central Headquarters verbally, alleging threats of ground operations and occupation of parts of Iran, particularly abutting the Persian Gulf.
He warned that US commanders and soldiers could become “food for the sharks of the Persian Gulf” if threats were carried out. Iranian state media, Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), reported that the spokesperson accused Trump of repeatedly threatening Iran while positioning US forces away from the battlefield and taking refuge in population and economic centres.
“He and the top commanders of the depleted American army, thousands of kilometres from the battlefield, expect resistance from Iran’s warriors. American aggression will only result in humiliation, captivity, and destruction of the aggressors,” the statement read.