Iran missiles target US-linked base as US-Saudi strikes hit Iraq militias

Cairo,UPDATED: Jul 29, 2026 22:30 IST

Iran launched a barrage of missiles at American forces in the Middle East early Wednesday, while the US and Saudi Arabia carried out strikes on Tehran-backed militias in Iraq, in a sharp escalation after several days of relative calm. The overnight fighting killed at least 20 militia fighters in Iraq, while Jordan said it intercepted Iranian missiles aimed at a key US air base on its territory.

The flare-up raised the risk of a return to all-out war and underlined the difficulty of winding down the five-month conflict, which has shaken the world economy and is unpopular among Americans. It also added to concerns over US stockpiles of sophisticated munitions needed to defend its bases and allies. Mediators had earlier voiced hope of bringing Washington and Tehran back to the negotiating table, but an interim agreement collapsed in recent weeks over renewed fighting in the Strait of Hormuz. Meanwhile, a Fox News reporter said on air that he had spoken to President Donald Trump, who, using a series of vulgarities, said the US would 'hit back hard' in response to the Iranian attacks.

Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard said it fired ballistic missiles at Jordan's Muwaffaq Salti Air Base, a key US military hub for the region, in a statement carried by the state-run IRNA news agency. Jordan's military said five Iranian missiles were intercepted and destroyed, and there were no immediate reports of casualties or damage.

The US military later said American and Saudi fighter aircraft had struck multiple logistics and weapons sites in eastern Iraq in response to alleged drone attacks on Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia had accused Iraqi militias of launching drones at its oil facilities over the past two days. An umbrella group of Iraqi militias initially denied the allegations, while the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen said they had attacked Saudi energy facilities as part of a separate but related conflict. The Saudi Defence Ministry said it 'does not seek escalation but will respond to any aggression'.

The Popular Mobilisation Forces, a coalition of mainly Shiite, Iran-backed armed groups that is officially under Iraqi military command, said at least 20 fighters were killed and 32 others were wounded in the overnight strikes. Two Iraqi militia officials said six Iranian advisers were also killed. The groups joined the fight against the Islamic State group after it seized large parts of Iraq in 2014. Iraq later designated the force as an 'independent military formation' within the armed forces, but the militias have significant autonomy and some have attacked US facilities.

The office of Iraqi President Nizar Amidi condemned the US-Saudi airstrikes, calling them 'an unacceptable attack and a blatant violation of Iraq's sovereignty, targeting its official security institutions'. Iraq's Security Council also criticised the strikes, saying they had been carried out 'while the Iraqi government was in contact with relevant parties to investigate and address all the concerns raised by the Saudi and American sides'. It said 'a number of innocent people' had been killed and wounded. A planned visit to Saudi Arabia by Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi on Thursday was postponed indefinitely, two Iraqi government officials said.

Before the latest violence, mediators had expressed optimism about reviving talks between the US and Iran. A regional official said mediators were 'still trying with both sides' to restore calm and get the ceasefire back on track, but gave no details on whether progress was being made. The truce effort had already been hit by renewed fighting in the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial waterway for global energy supplies that Iranian attacks have again effectively closed. The renewed hostilities sent oil prices higher, with Brent crude rising 3.1 per cent to USD 84.58 a barrel.

Saudi Arabia is also in renewed conflict with the Houthis, who have declared a blockade of Saudi shipping that could choke another key Middle East trade route, the Bab el-Mandeb strait from the Red Sea into the Gulf of Aden. On Monday, the Houthis said they had launched drones at oil facilities used to move crude across Saudi Arabia to the Red Sea port city of Yanbu, a key alternative route for exports blocked by Iran's chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz. The rebels said the attack was in response to a Saudi drone that they said had breached Yemen's airspace.

Planet Labs satellite imagery from Monday analysed by The Associated Press showed damage to Saudi Aramco's Abqaiq oil-processing facility, which can process about 7 million barrels of crude oil a day. In 2019, attacks on Abqaiq claimed by the Houthis disrupted production of 5.7 million barrels a day, pushed up global oil prices and showed how vulnerable Saudi oil facilities are to missile and drone attacks. Separately, a regional official said an oil refinery in Jazan on Saudi Arabia's Red Sea coast had temporarily shut down because of 'relatively significant' damage from a Houthi attack on Saturday, and would take several days to repair. The refinery produces 400,000 barrels a day. Texas-based IIR Energy said it was tentatively expected to restart on August 15.

The Strait of Hormuz remained a major flashpoint. Iran's deputy foreign minister, Kazem Gharibabadi, said Tehran had rejected a proposal from Oman, which lies on the other side of the strait, to jointly manage ship traffic. In an interview with Iran's state-run television, he said the Omani plan involved dividing the strait into two routes, each handling half the shipping. He said Iran had offered a counterproposal involving a temporary plan for vessels to pass through its territorial waters, adding that Tehran's policy is for the strait to 'never to return to its prewar situation', when ships moved freely.

The latest exchanges widened the conflict across several fronts, from Iranian missile fire at a US-linked base in Jordan to US-Saudi strikes in Iraq and fresh pressure on Saudi energy infrastructure, as oil prices rose and efforts to restore calm remained uncertain.

With PTI Inputs

- Ends