The United States and Saudi Arabia carried out coordinated airstrikes on Tuesday against Iranian-backed militia targets in Iraq, killing at least 20 members of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) and wounding 32 others, according to a PMF statement cited by multiple sources. The strikes hit multiple bases across Iraq, including in Nineveh and Diyala provinces, according to a PMF official. US Central Command described the operation as “precision strikes” against logistics and weapons facilities used by “Iran-aligned terrorists” whom it said had been directed by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to attack US personnel and Saudi energy infrastructure. Saudi Arabia’s defence ministry said the strikes were a response to more than 30 drone attacks on its oil facilities over the previous 72 hours, which it said had been launched from Iraqi territory by “terrorist militias aligned with Iran.” Riyadh said it did not seek escalation but “would respond decisively to any aggression,” according to a statement.

Iraq’s Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi condemned the strikes as an “unacceptable aggression” and called an emergency meeting of the National Security Council, which expressed “condemnation and rejection” of the violation of Iraqi sovereignty. The Iraqi government announced an “integrated security plan” to prevent its territory from being used to attack neighbouring countries. The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an umbrella group for Iranian-backed militias, issued an ultimatum to Baghdad to take action and promised retaliation against US and Saudi interests. Hadi al-Amiri, leader of the Badr Organization, demanded a “firm and decisive stance” from the government, according to Rudaw. Iran, through its foreign ministry, condemned the strikes as a “grave violation” of international law, though it directed its criticism at the United States and accused Washington of trying to expand the war, according to reports. Tehran denied directing the drone attacks on Saudi Arabia, with a senior defence official quoted by state media calling such accusations a “major miscalculation.”

The joint operation ended a five-day pause in hostilities between the United States and Iran that had followed an earlier US bombing campaign. Hopes for renewed negotiations faded after Iran launched ballistic missiles at US bases in Jordan on Tuesday, which were intercepted, and its Revolutionary Guard claimed attacks on three oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz, forcing them to stop. The renewed fighting pushed global oil prices higher, with Brent crude and US benchmark oil both rising more than 4% in early Asian trading, according to reports. Saudi Arabia, which had avoided direct combat since the conflict began in late February, has seen its economy hit by Iranian retaliation, including a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz and recent Houthi attacks on Red Sea shipping. The kingdom had moved 60% of its oil exports through the Red Sea after the Hormuz closure, analysts note.

The strikes have placed further pressure on Iraq’s Prime Minister, who during a recent visit to Washington discussed militia disarmament but faces resistance from armed groups. A planned visit by al-Zaidi to Riyadh on Thursday, scheduled before the strikes, may take on new importance amid the escalation. UN Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq warned against any expansion of the conflict, saying “the one thing we don't want to see is again any expansion of the conflict” that could lead to “a much worse situation even than before.” Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump said in a Fox News interview that the militias were a “cancer for the world” and that the strikes had been coordinated with Baghdad—a claim Iraqi authorities did not confirm.