Saudi Arabia and the US struck Iran-backed militias in eastern Iraq overnight, the first attack Riyadh has publicly acknowledged since the US-Iran war began in February. Iran answered with ballistic missiles aimed at US forces in Jordan, and Brent crude jumped 3.7% to $87.22 a barrel.
Saudi Arabia and the US launched overnight strikes on Iran-backed militias in Iraq while Iran fired ballistic missiles at US forces in Jordan, ending a days-long lull in the Middle East fighting. The joint operation was the first Saudi Arabia had publicly acknowledged since the US-Iran war started in February, and it underscored the risk that the Arab world's most powerful country could be drawn more deeply into the conflict.
Riyadh calls the strikes self-defence
The US military said the joint strikes hit logistics and weapons sites linked to Iran-backed militants in eastern Iraq, retaliating for dozens of drone strikes on US military installations and Saudi energy infrastructure over the past 72 hours. According to the Saudi Ministry of Defence, the strikes were part of "the kingdom's inherent right to self-defence", and the kingdom did not seek escalation but would respond to any aggression.
Baghdad condemned the attacks on Wednesday, which were likely committed by rogue groups closely aligned with Iran and outside the state's control. Iraq's Iran-backed Shia militia groups said at least 20 of their members were killed.
Under pressure from Washington, Iraq's new prime minister Ali al-Zaidi has made demobilising such groups a priority, though he will struggle to do so without their co-operation. His upcoming trip to Saudi Arabia was reportedly put on hold after Wednesday morning's attacks.
Iran targets a US base in Jordan
The Pentagon said it had intercepted several ballistic missiles fired by Iran at its forces in the region, describing it as an attempted surprise attack and prompting Trump to vow to hit back strongly. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said its aerospace force had targeted the American air base and the US military's central command headquarters in Jordan with several ballistic missiles early on Wednesday.
Before Tuesday, Iran's most recent assault on American installations in the region had been on Friday — the same day the US paused its strikes after 13 consecutive nights of attacks, with officials saying Trump was allowing space for talks with Tehran.
Brent climbs as Hormuz talks drag on
That brief lull in hostilities had helped calm global energy markets. But Brent crude, the global benchmark, reversed that, jumping 3.7% to $87.22 a barrel after news of the renewed fighting.
Since the April ceasefire, the Strait of Hormuz has become the central point of the conflict. US forces aimed their 17 rounds of strikes earlier this month at degrading the Iranian military's capability to threaten commercial vessels trying to transit the waterway, through which a fifth of global oil and gas shipments passed before the conflict.
An Omani delegation was in Tehran on Friday and Saturday to try to reach a provisional arrangement with Iran on managing shipping through the strait. A diplomat briefed on the discussions said talks were continuing, but Iran and Oman had yet to agree on how ships should be directed through it.
Source: Financial Times
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