US and Saudi Arabia Launch Joint Strikes in Iraq

The United States and Saudi Arabia launched joint airstrikes on July 28, 2026, targeting logistics and weapons sites used by Iranian-backed militias in eastern Iraq. Donald Trump authorized the operation as a response to more than 30 drone attacks on Saudi energy facilities and five Iranian ballistic missiles fired at the Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan. The U.S. Treasury Department simultaneously imposed new sanctions on Iranian shipping and oil smuggling operations.

Casualty reports vary across sources. Iranian state media reported four members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) killed in Diyala province, while a U.S. official cited by The New York Times estimated roughly 20 Iranian advisers died. The Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) reported 20 personnel killed and 32 wounded across seven provinces, including Baghdad and Basra.

The conflict has expanded regionally, with Houthi rebels attacking Saudi oil facilities in Abqaiq and Jazan, and drone strikes hitting natural gas vessels at the port of Damietta in Egypt. Iran further escalated tensions by rejecting an Omani proposal to jointly manage ship traffic in the Strait of Hormuz.

Reactions in Iraq are divided. While President Trump claimed the strikes were coordinated with local authorities, Iraq's National Security Council denounced the action as an unacceptable aggression. Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi announced a security plan to prevent attacks from Iraqi soil, though the PMF has openly mocked government efforts to disarm militias.