Iran condemns U.S.-Saudi attacks on Iraq as war expands further

Iran on Wednesday sharply criticized the joint U.S.-Saudi airstrikes against its allied militias in Iraq, calling the attacks clear violations of international law as the Middle East threatens to pull in new players.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the attacks violated Iraq’s territorial sovereignty and accused the U.S. and Israel of seeking to expand the war. The ministry said the strikes hit sites in the Iraqi city of Karbala, a Shiite pilgrimage destination.

Notably, Tehran refrained from naming Riyadh in its statement on the attacks, even after Saudi officials acknowledged a role in the operation — a sharp shift in the kingdom’s strategic approach.

Though Saudi Arabia has faced repeated strikes from Iran and its allied forces since hostilities began in February, the kingdom had avoided public military retaliation.

The Iranian statement follows U.S.-Saudi strikes Tuesday in eastern Iraq where Iran-backed militia groups are believed to have launched drone attacks.

The U.S.-Saudi strikes targeted seven provinces across Iraq, including near the capital city, Baghdad. 

The attacks targeted Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces, a paramilitary organization of more than 60 armed Shiite groups that maintains extensive ties to Iran. The PMF announced Wednesday that the strikes had killed at least 20 fighters and wounded 32.

Iraqi officials also condemned the strikes as a major violation of the country’s territorial integrity. Iraq’s security council on Wednesday urged all parties to halt escalation and insisted that Baghdad would remain neutral in the regional conflict.  

The U.S.-Saudi attacks came in retaliation for an Iranian ballistic missile attack on American forces in Jordan on Tuesday.

U.S. Central Command, which oversees American military operations in the Middle East, said all missiles had been intercepted and there were no casualties.

The strikes by Iran, the U.S. and Saudi Arabia came after a period of relative calm in the war, as both sides sought to determine the shape of the conflict’s next phase.

President Trump last week paused the U.S.-led bombing campaign on Iran following 13 consecutive days of attacks.

While some had hoped the pause would speed diplomatic efforts by Pakistan and Qatar, the renewed attacks underscore the deep divisions separating Tehran and Washington.

The war, which began as a fight over regime change and limits on Iran’s nuclear program, has since narrowed to focus almost entirely on restoring the free flow of commercial shipping through international waterways.

Iran has maintained for months that the Strait of Hormuz will remain under its authority indefinitely and that ships seeking to pass through will have to pay fees and coordinate directly with its military.

The U.S., along with several other world leaders, has rejected Iranian control over the strait and has floated escort missions for commercial vessels attempting to traverse the waterway.

At least 20% of the world’s oil passes through the strait each year, and its closure has driven energy prices higher. Brent crude rose from roughly $83 a barrel Tuesday evening to nearly $89 a barrel by Wednesday morning.

The strait’s closure is made all the more dire after Houthi rebels in Yemen declared a blockade of Saudi trade through the Bab el-Mandeb strait in the Red Sea earlier this month, closing off an essential alternative route. 

The Houthis have admitted to conducting strikes on at least two tankers in surrounding waters, causing a noticeable decline in regional transit. Recent figures from shipping analyst Kpler show that just 11 commercial ships navigated the waterway this past Sunday, marking the most significant traffic slump observed in several months.

The blockade by Houthi forces and diplomatic and military assistance from Tehran appear to have driven Riyadh to assume a more assertive role in the conflict. 

The Houthis, along with Iran-backed forces in Iraq, were likely responsible for the dozens of attacks on Saudi energy facilities this week. Satellite images released this week show large black smoke plumes rising from a Saudi Aramco oil processing facility in Abqaiq.