Iran-backed militants in Iraq recently launched over two dozen drone attacks on US forces and Saudi energy infrastructure.
In a display of military coordination, warplanes from the United States and Saudi Arabia conducted targeted strikes on Wednesday. Their mission was to neutralize Iran-backed militants in Iraq, who had launched a barrage of over two dozen drone attacks in recent days, according to an announcement from the US military.
The operations focused on “Iran-aligned terrorists that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has directed to assault US forces and threaten Saudi energy infrastructure,” stated US Central Command (CENTCOM) in an official release.
CENTCOM further cautioned that “the IRGC and its terrorist affiliates must halt these provocations to prevent a heightened US military reaction.”
However, the CENTCOM communiqué did not specify the exact locations aimed at by the Iranian forces, adding a layer of uncertainty to the evolving situation.
Confirming its role in the joint operation, Saudi Arabia’s defense ministry stated it had targeted “locations associated with militias on Iraqi soil that are connected to attacks on the kingdom’s oil installations.”
The strikes came after the ministry said its forces had intercepted drones targeting oil facilities in the east, blaming Iran-backed groups in Iraq.
Saudi Arabia called the previous day for the Iraqi government to prevent attacks from its territory, after which Iraq said it had ordered an investigation.
The IRGC later said they fired several ballistic missiles at a US air base and a US military CENTCOM centre in Jordan, in what they described as a response to US actions against Iranian interests.
US outlet Axios earlier reported, citing a US official, that Iran had launched ballistic missiles towards a US base in Jordan and the missiles were intercepted.
US President Donald Trump, who abruptly called off a two-week bombing campaign on Iran over the weekend, has said there were “good talks” underway with Iran but threatened to restart strikes unless negotiations delivered.
Iran has denied seeking to resume talks with the US.