New Delhi: The United States and Saudi Arabia conducted joint air strikes against Iran-backed militias in Iraq Wednesday, as Tehran launched ballistic missiles at American military targets and claimed attacks on three oil tankers.
The attacks mark a renewed escalation after a brief pause in fighting following almost two consecutive weeks of strikes exchanged by the US and Iran. The latest exchange has once again raised concerns over the conflict widening across West Asia and further disrupting shipping and energy supplies through the Strait of Hormuz.
“US Central Command and the Saudi Arabian Armed Forces conducted precision strikes in Iraq, July 28, against Iran-aligned terrorists that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) directed to attack US forces and Saudi energy infrastructure,” US Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a post on X Tuesday night.
CENTCOM said American and Saudi fighter aircraft struck multiple weapons and logistics sites across eastern Iraq in response to more than 30 Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) directed drone attacks carried out over the preceding 72 hours.
“The unwarranted attacks against US forces were not successful,” CENTCOM added. Between February and April this year, Iran-aligned militias in Iraq attempted more than 600 attacks against American citizens and facilities, according to CENTCOM.
Saudi Arabia’s foreign ministry said the strikes followed Tuesday’s attacks by Iranian-backed Iraqi militias against Saudi oil facilities in the kingdom’s eastern region. Defence ministry spokesman Major General Turki al-Maliki alleged that these attacks were carried out by Iran-linked militia groups operating in Iraq.
While the specific militia groups responsible for the attacks were not named by either the US or Saudi Arabia, the Iraqi-based Shia armed faction known as the Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF) reported that at least 10 of its members had been killed. The casualties from the US-Saudi joint strikes reportedly totals 20 dead and 32 wounded, according to the PMF’s Telegram post Wednesday.
The operation represents a rare direct Saudi military engagement since the West Asian conflict began in late February. Saudi Arabia has largely avoided becoming an acknowledged combatant, even as its oil installations and shipping have increasingly come under attack.
Iran targets US bases, commercial shipping
The IRGC said early Wednesday that it had launched missiles at US military installations in Jordan in retaliation for what it described as American aggression.
The Jordanian military said it shot down five missiles launched from Iran Wednesday morning, while CENTCOM said it had intercepted multiple Iranian ballistic missiles. US officials described the barrage as an attempted “surprise attack” against American forces in the region.
The IRGC separately claimed that it had struck three oil tankers after the vessels ignored Iranian warnings and travelled along what Tehran called an “illegal” route. It did not identify the vessels nor specify where they were attacked.
The Iranian-allied Houthi militia in Yemen also said it launched missiles at a Saudi oil tanker Tuesday, its latest operation since announcing a blockade on Saudi shipping in the Red Sea.
The latest escalation is part of the conflict involving the US, Israel and Iran that began on 28 February this year. After a ceasefire arrangement secured under a 17 June memorandum of understanding faltered, US President Donald Trump declared on 8 July that he believed the ceasefire was “over”, as strikes resumed.
The confrontation comes two days after Trump said that the US was engaged in “very friendly negotiations” with Iran. It also coincides with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu’s visit to Washington where he met Trump in the White House and is set to attend the funeral of the late Senator Lindsey Graham—a foreign policy hawk and prominent critic of the Iranian regime.
(Edited by Viny Mishra)
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