Saudi Arabia Joins US Military Escalations Against Iran-Backed Proxies
The US-Iran conflict has entered a new phase as Saudi Arabia joins military escalations against Tehran-backed proxies. The development comes as diplomatic efforts to end the war have stalled, and mistrust between the two adversaries deepens.
Despite several days of relative calm, both sides carried out military strikes in the last 24 hours that risk a return to all-out war. Iran's deputy foreign minister stated that his country has made no requests to restart diplomatic talks in over two weeks.
President Donald Trump and his allies have argued that Iran is eager to return to negotiations, but this claim was disputed by Iranian officials. The US military launched a 'powerful response' to an attempted Iranian attack on U.S. forces based in the Middle East, targeting multiple logistics and weapons sites used by Iranian-backed militias in Iraq.
Saudi Arabia's decision to join the US attacks against Iraqi militias was meant to send a message to Iran that it won't tolerate its proxies targeting Saudi oil infrastructure. The kingdom also wants Washington and Tehran to return to negotiations, with Defense Minister Khalid bin Salman meeting separately with Trump and Vice President JD Vance.
The conflict has jolted the world economy just months before critical midterm elections in November, making the stakes for continued US military action higher than ever. The recent fighting has also killed and injured more American troops and complicated concerns about the burn rate of critical missile interceptors.