The United States and Saudi Arabia launched joint airstrikes against Iran-backed militias in Iraq, U.S. Central Command said, shortly after Iran launched new missile attacks targeting U.S. forces in Jordan.The announcement is notable for being the first U.S. strike since a brief lull that began on Friday, the first confirmed occasion where Saudi Arabia directly attacked Iraq, and the first time in the war that it flew jointly with the U.S. Saudi Arabia’s only strikes against Iran or its proxies outside of Yemen have only been reported with no official confirmation.“U.S. Central Command and 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 U.S. forces and Saudi energy infrastructure,” CENTCOM said in a statement.
“U.S. 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,” it continued, adding that the “unwarranted” attacks were unsuccessful.“From February through April 2026, there were more than 600 attempted attacks on U.S. citizens and facilities by Iran-aligned terrorist militias in Iraq,” CENTCOM said. “The IRGC and its terrorist proxies must cease these attacks to avoid further U.S. military response.”The statement included an image of an A-10 Warthog, an armored aircraft usually used in close air support strikes. It’s frequently been used in U.S. strikes against Iraqi militias. Notably, most U.S. A-10s in the region are flown out of a base in Jordan, where Iran just attacked. The last U.S. air base in Iraq capable of holding A-10s, the Al Asad Air Base, was withdrawn from in January.Saudi Arabia confirmed its involvement in its own statement, in strikingly different language. The Ministry of Defense cited the Quran in reaffirming its “legitimate right to defend itself and its capabilities,” saying it “conducted precise and targeted strikes 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.”“The Kingdom emphasizes that it does not seek escalation but will respond to any aggression it faces,” the statement added.Saudi Arabia had warned Iraq that it may take action previously after a rare attack by Iraqi militias against Saudi Arabia directly. CENTCOM’s note that it struck targets in eastern Iraq lines up with the heartland of Shiite militias under the branch of the Popular Mobilization Forces, backed by Iran.IRAN FIRES MISSILES AT US FORCES IN JORDAN, ENDING BRIEF LULL IN ATTACKSAn Iraqi pro-militia outlet said Saudi Arabia struck the headquarters of the 40th PMF Brigade, also known as Kataib al-Imam Ali. The group is known for being particularly close to Lebanon’s Hezbollah, but also resented by other militias for the perception that it prioritizes commercial interests, according to the Washington Institute.The exact timing of the strikes was not clear but occurred sometime in the early morning hours of Wednesday local time. Given the complications involved in coordinating a joint strike between two countries, planning of the strikes had likely been in place well before the Iranian strike on Jordan.
