World

Iran launches missile attacks as U.S., Saudi Arabia strike Tehran-backed militias in Iraq

Published Jul. 30, 2026, 7:50 a.m. KST

BAGHDAD — Iran launched a barrage of missiles at American forces in the Middle East on Wednesday as the United States, working with Saudi Arabia, struck Tehran-backed militias in neighboring Iraq, killing at least 20 fighters and six Iranian advisers.

Elsewhere, drone strikes set fire to two natural gas vessels at Egypt’s port of Damietta, according to Ambrey, a British maritime security firm. It was not immediately clear who carried out the attacks on a U.S.-owned floating storage facility and a Greek-owned tanker. No injuries were reported.

The flare-up on multiple fronts after several days of relative calm raised the risk of a return to all-out war and further complicated efforts to reopen talks after months of fighting that have jolted the world economy. It also underscored the difficulty of winding down a conflict that has drawn in multiple regional actors and is likely to deepen concerns that the U.S. is further drawing down already diminished stockpiles of sophisticated munitions needed to defend its bases and allies.

Egypt, a close U.S. ally and regional mediator, is one of the few countries in the Middle East to have been spared direct military action during the war. A strike by Iran or its allies, if confirmed, would mark a significant widening of the conflict and add pressure on mediation efforts already under strain.

Asked during an Oval Office event whether Iran was responsible for the strikes on the natural gas vessels, Trump responded: “It's a little more of the same.”

“It’s going to be straightening out,” he added. “In the meantime, we’re going to be hitting them very hard because it’s our turn to hit them. They know it’s coming. They’re asking us not to do it.”

Saudi Arabia had accused Iraqi militias of firing drones at its oil facilities over the previous two days. An umbrella group of Iraqi militias initially denied the allegations, while another Iran-backed group — the Houthi rebels in Yemen — said they had attacked Saudi energy facilities as part of a separate but related conflict.

Before the latest eruption, mediators had expressed optimism about bringing the U.S. and Iran back to the negotiating table. An interim agreement collapsed in recent weeks over renewed fighting in the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial waterway for global energy supplies that Iranian attacks have again effectively closed, raising the stakes for shippers and governments dependent on the route.

A regional official said mediators are “still trying with both sides” to restore calm and get the ceasefire back on track. He gave no details on whether progress was being made and spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss closed-door diplomacy.

Regional countries will continue to push for de-escalation, said an Arab official, adding that prospects for successful mediation were slim as both sides continue to attack each other and have shown no inclination to stop. “We're in a very bad place right now,” said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to describe an internal assessment of the situation.

The renewed hostilities sent oil prices higher. Brent crude, the international benchmark, jumped 7.3 percent to $88.093 a barrel.

Members of Iraq's Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) stand guard outside the Basra Operations Command headquarters after airstrikes the PMF said were carried out by U.S. and Saudi forces in Basra, Iraq, on July 29. Reuters-Yonhap

Jordan intercepts missiles and U.S. strikes militias in Iraq

Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard said it fired ballistic missiles at Jordan’s Muwaffaq Salti Air Base, a key U.S. military hub for the region, in a statement carried by the state-run IRNA news agency.

Jordan’s military said five Iranian missiles were intercepted and destroyed. There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage.

The U.S. military later announced that American and Saudi fighter aircraft had struck multiple logistics and weapons sites in eastern Iraq in response to the alleged drone attacks on Saudi Arabia. The Saudi Defense Ministry warned that it “does not seek escalation but will respond to any aggression.”

The Popular Mobilization Forces, a coalition of primarily Shiite Iranian-backed armed groups that is officially under the command of the Iraqi military, said at least 20 fighters were killed and 32 wounded in the overnight strikes. Six Iranian advisers were also killed, according to two Iraqi militia officials who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment publicly. Iran's deputy governor for political, security and social affairs in Markazi province told Iranian state media that four advisers were killed.

The coalition joined the fight against the Islamic State group after it seized large sections of Iraq in 2014. The Iraqi government later designated the coalition as an “independent military formation” within the armed forces, but the militias retain significant autonomy and some have attacked U.S. facilities. That position has made the PMF both a military partner of the state and a recurring source of tension when regional rivalries spill into Iraqi territory.

Iraq’s government decried the U.S.-Saudi attacks, although a Fox News reporter said in an on-air segment that Trump told him the strikes were carried out in coordination with the Iraqi government.

The office of Iraqi President Nizar Amidi called the airstrikes “a blatant violation of Iraq’s sovereignty.”

Iraq’s National Security Council said the strikes were carried out “while the Iraqi government was in contact with relevant parties to investigate and address all the concerns raised by the Saudi and American sides.” It said “a number of innocent people” had been killed and wounded.

A visit to Saudi Arabia by Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi that had been scheduled for Thursday was postponed indefinitely, according to two Iraqi government officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment publicly.

Attacks on Saudi oil facilities could worsen global energy crisis

Saudi Arabia is also locked in a renewed conflict with the Houthis. The rebels have declared a blockade of Saudi shipping that could choke off another crucial Middle East trade route, the Bab el-Mandeb strait from the Red Sea into the Gulf of Aden.

On Monday, the Houthis said they launched drones targeting oil facilities used to transport oil across Saudi Arabia to the Red Sea port city of Yanbu, a key bypass for Saudi exports blocked by Iran’s chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz.

The rebels said their attack was in response to a Saudi drone they said had breached Yemen’s airspace.

Planet Labs satellite imagery from Monday analyzed by AP showed damage to Saudi Aramco’s Abqaiq oil-processing facility. The facility is capable of processing about 7 million barrels of crude oil per day.

Separately, a regional official said an oil refinery in Jazan on Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea coast had temporarily shut down because of “relatively significant” damage from a Houthi attack on Saturday. The official, who was not authorized to brief journalists and spoke on condition of anonymity, said repairs would take several days. The refinery produces 400,000 barrels per day.

Vessels in the Strait of Hormuz are seen from Musandam, Oman, on July 29. Reuters-Yonhap

Iran rejects Oman proposal for managing Strait of Hormuz

The Strait of Hormuz has become a major flashpoint in the conflict. Iran's deputy foreign minister said his country rejected a proposal from Oman, which lies on the other side of the strait, to jointly manage ship traffic.

In an interview with Iran’s state-run television, Kazem Gharibabadi said Oman’s proposal included dividing the strait into two routes.

Iran offered a counterproposal involving a temporary plan for the transit of vessels through its territorial waters, he said, adding that Tehran’s policy is for the strait “never to return to its prewar situation,” when ships moved freely.