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US and Saudi aircraft struck weapons and logistics sites across eastern Iraq late on Tuesday, July 28. US Central Command said the strikes answered more than 30 attempted drone attacks on American forces and Saudi energy sites over the previous three days.
CENTCOM said the attempts against US assets were unsuccessful. It blamed Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps for directing them. "The IRGC and its terrorist proxies must cease these attacks to avoid further U.S. military response," CENTCOM said in a statement posted to social media.
Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Defense confirmed it had conducted precise and targeted strikes, citing its right to self-defense. Riyadh said it intercepted drones launched from Iraq at petroleum facilities in the capital and in the country's eastern province. Neither government named the groups it hit. Iran backs several Shia militias in Iraq, among them Kata'ib Hezbollah, which the United States designates a foreign terrorist organization.
Earlier on Tuesday, CENTCOM said the Revolutionary Guard launched ballistic missiles at US forces in the region in what it called an attempted surprise attack. Those missiles were intercepted.
The activity built through the weekend. Saudi Arabia's foreign ministry said on Monday that it reserves the right to respond and attributed the drones to Iran-backed armed groups in Iraq. Jordan said it shot down two drones the same day. Iraqi security sources reported strikes on camps housing Iranian-Kurdish opposition fighters in the north of the country. Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi said Baghdad will not allow its territory to be used to launch attacks against neighbouring countries. In May, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates both reported intercepting drones launched from Iraq.
The Israeli Air Force intercepted a drone near the Jordanian border on Tuesday. The Israeli military said the aircraft did not cross into Israeli territory and that the origin of the launch was under review. No sirens were sounded.
The strikes fall inside a five-day pause in direct US attacks on Iran, which we reported on July 27. Nightly US strikes on Iranian targets ended last Thursday. President Trump said on Tuesday morning that talks with Iran had been very good, while warning that the United States would finish the job without a deal. Iran says it is not currently in direct talks with Washington, and points to its discussions with Oman over shipping arrangements in the Strait of Hormuz.
Brent crude traded near $86 a barrel on Tuesday, down sharply from its July highs. Yemen's Houthis have separately fired on Saudi tankers in the Red Sea, putting pressure on the waterway off Saudi Arabia's western coast while the Strait of Hormuz remains constrained on the other side of the peninsula.
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