US, Saudi Arabia launch joint strikes on Iran-backed ‘militias’ in Iraq after Tehran fires missiles at US forces

The United States and Saudi Arabia carried out coordinated airstrikes against Iran-backed militia positions in eastern Iraq after Iran launched what US military officials described as a “surprise attack” on American forces in the Middle East, marking one of the sharpest escalations in the regional conflict despite recent diplomatic efforts to contain the crisis.

The latest military exchange unfolded barely a day after US President Donald Trump suggested Washington had paused strikes against Iran and indicated that Tehran wanted negotiations. Iranian officials quickly rejected that assertion, insisting no talks with the United States were underway.

According to US Central Command (CENTCOM), Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) fired multiple ballistic missiles at US forces in the region on Tuesday evening.

“At 5:45 p.m. ET today, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces launched multiple ballistic missiles from Iran in an attempted surprise attack on US forces based in the Middle East,” CENTCOM said in a statement.

“All Iranian missiles were successfully intercepted. US forces remain vigilant and at a high state of readiness.”

AS per initial assessments indicated no more than four ballistic missiles had been fired.

Iran’s IRGC later claimed responsibility for the attack, with state media reporting that the missiles were aimed at US military targets in Jordan. While CENTCOM confirmed the attempted strike, it did not disclose the locations of the intended targets.

Within hours, Washington announced retaliatory operations alongside Saudi Arabia.

CENTCOM said US and Saudi fighter aircraft carried out “joint precision strikes against Iran-aligned terrorists” in eastern Iraq, targeting logistics hubs and weapons storage facilities linked to groups allegedly directed by the IRGC.

“US and Saudi fighter aircraft struck multiple terrorist logistics and weapons sites across eastern Iraq in a strong response to over 30 IRGC-directed aerial drone attacks in the last 72 hours,” the command said.

US considers Iran’s Revolutionary Guard had directed attacks against Saudi partners over the weekend “without any provocation.”

Saudi Arabia separately confirmed its participation, describing the operation as “limited, targeted strikes” against Iran-backed militias linked to attacks on Saudi oil facilities.

Earlier, Riyadh said it had intercepted several drones launched from Iraq toward oil infrastructure in eastern Saudi Arabia.

The Saudi Defence Ministry stressed that the kingdom “does not seek escalation but will respond to any aggression against it.”

The operation marked the first publicly acknowledged Saudi military strikes inside Iraq since the Iran-US conflict intensified, underscoring Riyadh’s increasingly direct role after months of attempting to avoid becoming fully drawn into the confrontation.

The strikes prompted an angry response from Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), an umbrella organisation within Iraq’s official security apparatus that includes several Iran-aligned militias.

The PMF said multiple bases had been struck, causing casualties and damage.

“We consider this targeting to be a highly dangerous escalation, a violation of Iraq’s sovereignty, and an attack on its official security institutions,” the group said.

The organisation, originally formed to combat ISIS before being integrated into Iraq’s state security structure, includes several powerful factions closely aligned with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and forms part of Tehran’s broader “Axis of Resistance” network across the region.

The renewed exchange of fire rattled energy markets.

Brent crude rose to around $83 a barrel while US benchmark West Texas Intermediate also climbed sharply after news of the Iranian missile launch, reversing part of the steep decline seen earlier in the week when the Trump administration suggested it was pausing plans to intensify military operations against Iran.

The military escalation came against the backdrop of high-level diplomatic activity in Washington.

President Trump held closed-door meetings at the White House with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Netanyahu later described his discussions with Trump as “one of the best conversations” the two leaders had ever held.

“It was a conversation of full partnership, of mutual support, with an understanding of the shared goal to ensure that Iran will not have nuclear weapons, and also other goals,” the Israeli leader said.

Meanwhile, Ukraine and Iran sought to ease tensions following a recent incident involving an Iranian commercial vessel in the Caspian Sea.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said he held a “frank” conversation with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, stressing the need to avoid “unnecessary escalation.”

Sybiha said he assured Tehran that “all of Ukraine’s actions are aimed solely at defending our country from Russian aggression and never intended to target civilian vessels or people.”

Araghchi later acknowledged Ukraine’s explanation but reiterated Tehran’s position.

“Iran does not seek escalation either, but made clear any attack on our citizens or interests is unacceptable,” he said. “There must be restitution for losses.”