Saudi Arabia Has Gone To War With Iran
- 29.07.2026, 22:37
The kingdom joined the U.S. strikes against Tehran-backed Shiite groups in Iraq.
Saudi Arabia has openly gone to war with Iran for the first time by joining U.S. strikes against Tehran-backed Shiite groups in Iraq. According to The New York Times, prior to this, Iran fired missiles at a U.S. base in Jordan, and then Washington and Riyadh launched a joint strike against Iran-linked forces. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps also claimed responsibility for an attack on three oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz.
According to U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), the strikes targeted IRGC-affiliated groups that, according to Washington, were preparing attacks on U.S. troops and Saudi Arabia’s energy infrastructure. CENTCOM stated that the operation was a response to more than 30 drone attacks over the past 72 hours. According to a U.S. official quoted by The New York Times, approximately 20 Iranian military and technical advisers were killed.
Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), which bring together predominantly Iranian-backed Shiite groups, confirmed the strikes on their bases and reported the deaths of at least 20 fighters. Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi called the joint U.S.-Saudi operation “unacceptable aggression.” For his part, U.S. President Donald Trump told Fox News that the strikes had been coordinated with the Iraqi government.
A spokesperson for the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Defense, Major General Turki al-Maliki, stated that Iranian-backed groups had launched drones at the kingdom’s oil facilities from Iraqi territory. According to him, Riyadh carried out retaliatory strikes, “exercising its right to self-defense.” At the same time, the official emphasized that the Kingdom does not seek escalation.
Iran condemned the U.S.-Saudi strikes, calling them a violation of international law and part of a U.S.-Israeli strategy to expand the war in the Middle East. Amid this new round of escalation, Brent crude oil prices rose by about 5% to $88.50 per barrel due to fears of supply disruptions through the Strait of Hormuz.