The United States and Saudi Arabia launched coordinated airstrikes against Iran-backed armed groups across Iraq on Wednesday, killing at least 20 fighters and raising fears that the conflict with Iran is expanding across the Middle East.
The attacks marked the first major US military action in the region since President Donald Trump suspended Washington’s bombing campaign against Iran last week. They were also the first publicly acknowledged Saudi strikes alongside US forces during the war.
Iran said it had launched ballistic missiles at US military bases in Jordan and attacked three ships in the Strait of Hormuz. Trump responded by promising further retaliation.
“We’ll be hitting them hard,” Trump told Fox News, while leaving open the possibility of continued negotiations with Tehran.
Iranian authorities also reported that a US projectile had struck the northwestern city of Piranshahr, close to the Iraqi border. Washington had not immediately confirmed carrying out a strike inside Iran.
At least 20 fighters killed in Iraq
Iraq’s Popular Mobilisation Forces, an umbrella organisation of predominantly Iran-aligned paramilitary factions formally incorporated into the Iraqi security forces, said at least 20 of its members were killed and 32 wounded in strikes on several bases.
Footage broadcast by Iraq’s Al-Ahad television showed men carrying the bodies of fighters from a hospital in Mosul while chanting Shiite religious slogans and “Death to America.”
Washington and Riyadh said the strikes were retaliation for drone attacks launched from Iraqi territory against Saudi oil infrastructure.
The Iraqi presidency condemned the attacks as an “unacceptable” assault and a violation of the country’s sovereignty. It also called on armed groups operating in Iraq to stop targeting neighbouring states.
Iraq’s government, which maintains close relations with both Washington and Tehran, called an emergency meeting as pressure mounted to prevent the country from becoming a major battlefield in the regional conflict.
Saudi involvement raises stakes
Saudi Arabia’s direct participation in the strikes threatens to open another front between the Sunni-majority kingdom and Iran’s Shiite-aligned regional allies.
Iran accused the United States and Israel of attempting to spread the war across the region. Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba, one of Iraq’s most powerful Iran-backed armed factions, warned that US and Saudi forces would pay a “heavy price.”
Washington has repeatedly urged Baghdad to restrain Iran-backed factions, though previous efforts to dismantle or weaken the groups have triggered political confrontation and unrest.
Tensions are particularly sensitive this week as hundreds of thousands of Iranian pilgrims travel to religious shrines in Iraq for annual commemorations. Some pilgrims carried portraits of Iran’s slain Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Saudi Arabia is also confronting Iran’s allies in Yemen, where the Houthi movement announced a blockade of Saudi oil exports through the Red Sea and launched attacks against vessels and energy facilities.
Iranian missiles target US bases in Jordan
Hours before the strikes in Iraq, the US military said its air defences had intercepted a surprise Iranian attack against American forces in the region.
Jordan’s military said it shot down five Iranian missiles. US bases in Jordan have emerged as major Iranian targets, with three American service members killed there earlier this month in the heaviest US military losses since March.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it fired several ballistic missiles at US military installations in Jordan.
Trump said American forces had only minutes to respond to the attack and vowed a powerful military response against Tehran.
Iran claims attacks on tankers
The Revolutionary Guards also claimed responsibility for attacks on three tankers attempting to pass through the Strait of Hormuz along what Tehran described as an unauthorised route.
The strategic waterway carries a large share of the world’s seaborne oil supplies and has become a central point of dispute in the conflict.
The United States has advised commercial vessels to sail closer to Oman’s coastline rather than Iran’s side of the strait.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Navy said it remained in full control of the waterway and would respond to what it described as unlawful US military interference.
Tehran rejects Oman plan
Diplomatic efforts suffered another setback after Iran rejected an Omani proposal for joint regional management of the Strait of Hormuz.
The proposal, backed by several Gulf states, would have established a shared control system and allowed vessels to pay voluntary service charges.
A senior Iranian official said Tehran considered the plan unreasonable and argued that an equal division of authority with Oman would not protect Iranian interests.
Iran is demanding sole control over the route used by vessels entering the strait and partial control over outbound traffic.
The latest fighting followed the collapse of an interim US-Iran agreement reached in June, with control of the strait and the collection of shipping fees among the main unresolved issues.
Oil prices surge
The renewed escalation sent global oil prices sharply higher.
Brent crude futures rose 6.8%, approaching $90 a barrel during Wednesday’s trading. Prices had briefly climbed above $100 the previous week before falling into the mid-$80 range following Trump’s decision to suspend the US bombing campaign.
The combination of US-Saudi strikes in Iraq, Iranian missile attacks in Jordan and growing threats to shipping has intensified concerns that the conflict could disrupt energy exports and draw additional regional powers into direct combat.
