US, Saudi Arabia Conduct Joint Strikes

on Iran-Aligned Militias in Iraq

Report By Y-Trendz

Baghdad/Riyadh/Washington — July 29, 2026

The United States and Saudi Arabia carried out joint airstrikes against Iran-aligned militia targets in eastern Iraq this week, marking a significant expansion of the regional conflict as Gulf states become

directly involved militarily for the first time since the current round of fighting escalated.

The Strikes

US Central Command said in a statement that it and the Saudi Arabian Armed Forces conducted precision strikes in Iraq on July 28 against Iran-aligned terrorists that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps had directed to attack US forces and Saudi energy infrastructure. CENTCOM said US and Saudi fighter aircraft struck multiple terrorist logistics and weapons sites across eastern Iraq in what it called a strong response to more than 30 IRGC-directed aerial drone attacks over the preceding 72 hours.

Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Defense described its involvement as "limited, targeted strikes" carried out jointly with the US against Iran-backed militias in Iraq linked to attacks on Saudi oil facilities. In a statement, the Saudi ministry said the operation came in response to recent drone attacks, and that Saudi air defenses had intercepted and destroyed several drones that attempted to target petroleum facilities in the Eastern Province and Riyadh regions, launched from Iraqi territory by Iran-aligned militias.

Saudi Arabia stated it does not seek escalation but will respond to any aggression against it. CENTCOM added that the attacks against US forces themselves were not successful, and warned that "the IRGC and its terrorist proxies must cease these attacks to avoid further U.S. military response."

Who Was Targeted

The strikes targeted militias linked to Iraq's Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), an umbrella organization within Iraq's official security apparatus that Iran has increasingly used to project influence in the country. The PMF is composed mostly of Shiite paramilitary groups and was established in 2014 as Islamic State advanced across Iraq, with volunteers and existing militias brought together under government auspices to fight alongside state forces. It played a major role in defeating the Islamic State and retaking Iraqi territory before being formally folded into the state security apparatus in 2016, though some of its most powerful factions retain close ties to Iran's Revolutionary Guard and form part of Tehran's regional "Axis of Resistance," alongside groups like Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza.

CENTCOM's announcement came shortly after reports circulated in Arabic-language media of unexplained explosions at a PMF base in Iraq.

Timing: Hours After Iran's Missile Attack on Jordan

The joint US-Saudi strikes followed just hours after Iran launched multiple ballistic missiles toward US military bases across the Middle East, an attack CENTCOM described as an attempted "surprise attack." Iran's Revolutionary Guards told Iranian state media that the IRGC had fired ballistic missiles at US air bases and a US military Central Command center in Jordan, and a US official told The Jerusalem Post that Iran had launched at least four ballistic missiles at the base, calling it "a major attack." The accusation of the ballistic missile attack in Jordan came shortly before the US and Saudi Arabia launched their joint retaliatory strikes on Iran-aligned groups in Iraq.

Broader Regional Pressure

The strikes come as Saudi Arabia continues to report intercepting drones targeting its territory, and as Iran has warned of taking "any action" necessary to maintain its control over the Strait of Hormuz — underscoring how the conflict has widened to touch nearly every major flashpoint in the region simultaneously, from Gulf shipping lanes to Iraqi militia bases to direct missile exchanges with US installations in Jordan.

A Widening War

The current escalation traces back to February 28, when the US and Israel launched joint strikes on Iran, triggering months of retaliatory exchanges across Jordan, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Iraq. Saudi Arabia's direct participation in strikes on Iraqi soil represents a notable widening of the coalition arrayed against Iran-aligned forces, with Riyadh now moving from a defensive posture — intercepting drones aimed at its own oil infrastructure — to offensive action alongside the United States.

Whether this marks a turning point toward further escalation or a bounded, one-off response remains unclear. CENTCOM's explicit warning that further attacks would trigger additional US military action, combined with Saudi Arabia's insistence that it is not seeking to escalate, suggests both Washington and Riyadh are attempting to calibrate a response that deters further militia attacks without triggering a broader regional war — a balance that has proven difficult to sustain throughout the months of fighting so far.