US Central Command (CENTCOM) together with the Saudi Arabian Armed Forces struck Iraq on Wednesday, targeting “Iran-aligned terrorists that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) directed to attack US forces and Saudi energy infrastructure,” CENTCOM said in a post on X/Twitter.
“US and Saudi fighter aircraft struck multiple terrorist logistics and weapons sites across eastern Iraq in a strong response to over 30 IRGC-directed aerial drone attacks in the last 72 hours.”
CENTCOM’s announcement came shortly after reports from Arabic media of “unexplained explosions at a Popular Mobilization Front (PMF) base,” in Iraq. The PMF is composed of about 67 Iranian-backed armed militias.
The Saudi Defense Ministry added that the strikes “reaffirm the Kingdom’s legitimate right to defend itself,” adding that it “does not seek escalation but will respond to any aggression it faces,” in a post on X on Wednesday.
Iranian strikes on US bases in the Middle East
Hours earlier, Iran launched multiple ballistic missiles towards US military bases across the Middle East, CENTCOM confirmed in a post on X.
“IRGC forces launched multiple ballistic missiles from Iran in an attempted surprise attack on US forces based in the Middle East,” the post explained.
The IRGC “fired ballistic missiles at US air bases and US military Central Command center in Jordan,” Iran’s Revolutionary Guards told Iranian state media.
A US official told The Jerusalem Post that Iran had launched at least four ballistic missiles towards a US military base in Jordan, adding that “This was a major attack.”
Shortly before CENTCOM confirmed that the IRGC had launched a number of ground-to-ground missiles at US bases across the region, Iranian negotiator Seyed Mohammad Marandi announced that Iran was “fully prepared for all out war,” in a post on X.
Missiles, drones launched at Saudi Arabia
Saudi air defenses intercepted and destroyed several drones that attempted to strike oil facilities in the kingdom’s Eastern Province on Tuesday night, Saudi Defense Ministry spokesperson Turki al-Maliki said.
Al-Maliki said the drones had been launched from Iraqi territory by Iranian-backed militias.
Saudi Arabia reserves the legitimate right to defend itself and its national capabilities and retains the right to respond “at the appropriate time and place,” al-Maliki added.
The Houthis also claimed they had fired ballistic missiles at a Saudi oil tanker in the Red Sea on Wednesday morning. A Houthi military spokesperson said the vessel had violated the group’s newly declared maritime blockade of Saudi Arabia.
Shortly before the Houthi announcement, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) center said that a tanker had reported hearing an explosion in the Red Sea.
Additionally, the IRGC told Iranian state media that three oil tankers were “struck and stopped” in the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday morning after they “ignored warnings.”
CENTCOM paused attacks on Iran for negotiations to reopen Hormuz
The US military carried out nightly strikes on Iran from July 8 through July 24, but has since paused the campaign to allow US and Iranian negotiators to discuss reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
“We are in very deep talks with Iran, if they don’t work out, we will go back to very strong military action,” US President Donald Trump told Axios on Monday.
The president said he paused strikes to give negotiations another chance, but added that the talks would “Either go fast or not at all,” adding that countries involved in the talks told him to hold back from further escalations.
“If the [US] attacks stop, Iran will also halt its operations,” a senior Iranian source told Reuters on Sunday.
The official added that “There is more skepticism than optimism about the halt in attacks. The prevailing view is that the pause is tactical rather than genuine.”
Amichai Stein and Reuters contributed to this report.
Source:
www.jpost.com
