The US military said it knocked down an Iranian missile barrage and worked with Saudi Arabia forces to strike sites in Iraq that Tehran-backed militias have used to launch attacks in recent days. The strikes on Wednesday killed at least 20 members of a former paramilitary alliance that includes pro-Iran groups.
US intercepts Iranian missiles
In what Washington cast as “an attempted surprise attack” by Tehran, Iran had launched multiple ballistic missiles at US forces in the Middle East, shattering a brief pause in fighting. Iran’s target was a US base in Jordan, Axios cited a US official as saying. US Central Command (Centcom) said all Iranian missiles launched on Tuesday were intercepted, and the US warned any further attacks on American troops or Saudi Arabia’s energy infrastructure would trigger retaliatory strikes.
The joint US-Saudi strikes on targets in Iraq killed at least 20 members of Iraq’s Popular Mobilisation Forces and wounded others. The PMF is an Iraqi state security service that Iran has infiltrated.
Iran claims attacks on oil tankers
In a further sign that the lull in fighting could be over, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards claimed on Wednesday to have struck and halted three “violating” oil tankers sailing an “illegal” route in the Strait of Hormuz, Iranian state media reported. The price of Brent crude oil rose after news of the flare-up, hovering around $88 a barrel.
Both sides had held fire over the weekend, after nearly two weeks of nightly strikes by the US on Iran, and repeated missile and drone salvoes by Tehran targeting Washington’s allies around the Gulf. Oil prices had plummeted after the weekend lull and Donald Trump said there was a “good chance” of progress in negotiations to end the war.
US and Saudi warplanes target militants
The US and Saudi warplanes carried out strikes on Iran-backed militants in Iraq after accusing them of launching drone attacks on Saudi oil facilities in recent days. On Tuesday, the Iraqi prime minister, Ali al-Zaidi, ordered security agencies to investigate the alleged attacks by militant groups, saying his country was committed to “preventing Iraqi territory from being used as a route or launching point for any attack targeting brotherly or friendly countries.”
The Iraqi militias have denied any role in the drone attacks. The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an umbrella group of Iran-backed armed groups, called the Saudi claims “fabrications” and implied that Monday’s attacks were carried out by the Houthis, who had themselves claimed to have attacked Saudi oil facilities.
Houthi blockade threatens Red Sea
The Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen claimed to have forced a Saudi oil tanker to turn around as part of their self-styled blockade. Last week, they announced a blockade of Saudi shipping, putting another key Middle Eastern waterway – through the Bab el-Mandeb strait leading to the Red Sea – at risk. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Center said a tanker reported hearing explosions while travelling in the southern Red Sea. It did not name the tanker but said the crew and vessel were safe. The Houthis also fired on at least one Saudi tanker in the Red Sea last week.
Netanyahu meets Trump amid tensions
Iran’s surprise attack came as the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, visited Washington. Israel has been notably absent from the recent fighting with Iran. Netanyahu said he had an “excellent” meeting with Trump at the White House, their first sit-down since launching the war, which offered Netanyahu a chance to smooth out strains in their relationship. The closed-door meeting lasted nearly an hour and a half and was “positive and productive”, the White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, said.
It comes as both leaders face growing pressures at home. Netanyahu is up for re-election and is embattled in part because of his deteriorating relationship with Trump. Trump is under pressure to end an unpopular war that has wreaked economic havoc and driven prices higher ahead of midterm elections this November.
