Amiri Urges Pro-Iran Groups to Postpone Retaliation Against US-Saudi Strike

Hadi al-Amiri, leader of Iraq's Iran-backed Badr Organization, has urged Islamic Resistance groups in Iraq to 'postpone' any planned retaliatory action against a deadly US-Saudi strike on Iraq. The message came amid reports of a potential re-escalation between the armed factions and Saudi Arabia.

The US and Saudi forces carried out large-scale strikes against militias in Iraq on July 29, targeting several bases of the state-integrated but Iran-backed paramilitary umbrella group, the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), across seven provinces. The attack killed at least 20 fighters and injured 32 others.

Amiri appealed to his 'sons and brothers' in the Islamic Resistance to bear the pain for the sake of Iraq's higher interest, saying they would pursue the rights of the martyrs and the wounded through diplomatic channels. He vehemently rejected accusations from Saudi Arabia that the Badr Organization was behind attacks targeting the country's oil facilities.

The Saudi government has accused Iran-aligned groups in Iraq of being responsible for recent attacks on Saudi oil facilities, but Iraqi government spokesperson Haider al-Aboudi said the claims 'were not proven true' by investigative committees. Amiri's message comes as intelligence suggests that an attack could be launched soon between Yemen's Houthis and Iraq's pro-Iran militias targeting Saudi civilian sites.