Amid dangling hopes of a final peace deal in the Iran war, the US and Saudi Arabia on Tuesday carried out strikes against Tehran-backed militants in Iraq, who they said launched over two dozen drone attacks in recent days.
The US Central Command said in a statement on X that the American forces, along with 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.”
It said that the US and Saudi fighter aircraft struck several “terrorist logistics and weapons sites” across eastern Iraq in response to more than 30 aerial drone attacks directed by the Iran Guards in the last 72 hours.
“The unwarranted attacks against US forces were not successful. From February through April 2026, there were more than 600 attempted attacks on US citizens and facilities by Iran-aligned terrorist militias in Iraq,” it added.
The Central Command warned the IRGC and its “terrorist proxies” to cease these attacks to avoid further military response from the US.
Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia’s ministry of defense said in a statement that the recent drone attacks, which tried to target petroleum facilities in the Eastern Province and Riyadh Regions, were launched from Iraqi territory and carried out by Iran-aligned terrorist militias.
“This reaffirms the Kingdom’s legitimate right to defend itself and its capabilities, while reserving the right to respond at the appropriate time and place, in line with the Almighty’s words: (And if anyone transgresses against you, transgress against them in the same way they transgressed against you),” ministry spokesperson Major General Turki Al-Maliki said.
Saudi Arabia cited its right to self-defense under Article 51 of the UN Charter and said it conducted precise and targeted strikes in coordination with the US forces.
The Kingdom said the strikes were against “objectives belonging to those militias located on the territory of the Republic of Iraq and linked to the attacks on petroleum facilities in the Kingdom.”
Saudi Arabia reaffirmed that it does not seek escalation in conflict. However, it will respond if the Kingdom is faced with any aggression.