The United States and Saudi Arabia have carried out coordinated air strikes against bases and military infrastructure belonging to Iran-backed armed groups in Iraq, marking another expansion of the conflict across the Middle East.
The operation followed a brief pause in direct hostilities between Washington and Tehran and came after a series of drone and missile attacks targeting American forces and Saudi energy facilities.
US Central Command said the strikes hit logistics centres and weapons sites used by armed groups that Washington believes operate under the direction of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. American officials accused the organisations of launching more than 30 drone attacks during the previous 72 hours.
Saudi Arabia said drones launched from Iraqi territory had targeted oil facilities in the kingdom’s Eastern Province and the Riyadh region. Defence Ministry spokesman Major General Turki al-Maliki described the strikes as an act of self-defence.
The Saudi authorities stressed that the kingdom was not seeking a wider confrontation but warned that it would respond decisively to further attacks on its territory or strategic infrastructure.
Iraq’s Popular Mobilisation Forces said at least 20 of its members were killed and 32 others wounded. According to the organisation, several of its headquarters and bases were struck across the provinces of Baghdad, Diyala, Nineveh, Basra, Kirkuk, Karbala and Wasit.
The group condemned the operation as a dangerous escalation and a violation of Iraqi sovereignty, arguing that the strikes had targeted institutions formally incorporated into the country’s security forces.
The Popular Mobilisation Forces are an umbrella organisation made up largely of Shia armed groups. They were officially integrated into Iraq’s security system following the campaign against the Islamic State group, although several factions maintain close political and military links with Tehran.
The joint US-Saudi operation came only hours after Iran launched missiles towards American military positions in the region. The United States said the missiles were successfully intercepted and caused no confirmed damage.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said it had targeted a US base and command centre in Jordan in response to continued American military action. Tehran denied directing the drone attacks against Saudi Arabia and warned that blaming Iran for every assault against US interests could lead to a dangerous miscalculation.
Tensions have also risen in the Strait of Hormuz, where Iranian naval forces said they had struck three oil tankers after the vessels allegedly ignored warnings and travelled along what Tehran described as an unauthorised route.
The waterway is one of the world’s most important energy corridors, carrying a significant share of global oil and gas exports. Any prolonged disruption could have serious consequences for international energy supplies and the wider global economy.
Oil prices rose following reports of the renewed fighting, reflecting fears that escalating attacks could further restrict tanker traffic and threaten production and export facilities across the Gulf.
The latest strikes demonstrate that the confrontation is becoming increasingly difficult to contain within Iran’s borders. Military action on Iraqi territory and the direct involvement of Saudi Arabia increase the risk of a wider regional conflict involving additional governments and armed groups.
Although all sides continue to insist that they are acting defensively, the repeated cycle of attacks and retaliation is narrowing the space for diplomacy and increasing the possibility that a single incident could trigger a much larger war.
