US and Saudi Arabia Launch Joint Strikes Against Iran-Backed Groups in Iraq
The conflict in the Middle East has escalated as the US and Saudi Arabia launched joint airstrikes against Iran-backed armed groups in Iraq on July 29. The strikes were in retaliation for drone attacks on Saudi oil targets launched from Iraq, according to Washington and Riyadh.
Iraq's Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF) reported at least 20 members killed and 32 wounded in the US-Saudi strikes targeting several bases across Iraq. This marks the first major US military action in the region since July 24, when President Donald Trump suspended an intensive bombing campaign after 13 days.
The joint strikes have widened the conflict, drawing Sunni Muslim Saudi Arabia into combat against Shi'ite proxies of Iran on a new front. The deep ties between Iran and Iraq, the two biggest Shi'ite-majority countries, have been on display this week as hundreds of thousands of Iranian religious pilgrims visit shrines in Iraq for an annual holiday.
The renewed fighting has sent oil prices rising 4.6 per cent, with Brent crude futures trading at almost $88 a barrel at 10:30am GMT (6:30pm Singapore time). The price had briefly spiked above $100 last week for the first time since May, but tumbled into the mid-80s this week after Trump called off the bombing.