The United States and Saudi Arabia jointly carried out airstrikes against Iran-backed armed groups in Iraq on Wednesday, marking the first major US military action in the Middle East since President Trump suspended an intensive bombing campaign last Friday. The strikes, launched in retaliation for drone attacks on Saudi oil targets, mark the first time Saudi Arabia has publicly joined the US in combat operations during the war, potentially widening the conflict by drawing Riyadh directly into confrontation with Iranian-backed Shi'ite proxies.

Iraq's Popular Mobilization Forces said at least 20 fighters were killed and 32 wounded in the strikes on several bases across the country, prompting Iraq's government to call an emergency meeting. Iran responded by firing ballistic missiles at US bases in Jordan, where Jordanian air defences intercepted five missiles, and struck three tankers attempting to transit the Strait of Hormuz. Tehran also rejected an Omani proposal for joint regional control of the strait, after a US-Iran framework deal reached in June collapsed over the issue. Saudi Arabia faces a further front in Yemen, where the Iran-aligned Houthi movement has blockaded Saudi oil exports in the Red Sea, and oil prices rose again amid the renewed fighting.