JULY 29, 2026
Iran fires missiles at U.S. forces in Jordan as U.S. and Saudi Arabia launch joint strikes on Iran-backed militias in Iraq
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps launched ballistic missiles at U.S. military targets in Jordan early Wednesday, which the U.S. military and Jordan's air defenses said were successfully intercepted. Hours later, U.S. and Saudi Arabian forces conducted joint airstrikes on Iran-backed Popular Mobilization Forces sites across eastern Iraq, killing at least 20 fighters and wounding 32. The exchange ended a brief three-day pause in hostilities that mediators had described as a window for diplomatic progress.
Iran's IRGC said it targeted the Muwaffaq Salti Air Base and U.S. Central Command's headquarters in Jordan, describing the strikes as a response to what it called U.S. aggression. Jordan's military said its air defenses intercepted and destroyed five of the incoming ballistic missiles. CENTCOM said all Iranian missiles were successfully intercepted and characterized the launch as "an attempted surprise attack on U.S. forces based in the Middle East."
In response, U.S. and Saudi fighter aircraft struck "multiple terrorist logistics and weapons sites across eastern Iraq," according to CENTCOM, citing more than 30 IRGC-directed aerial drone attacks in the prior 72 hours as justification. The Saudi Defense Ministry confirmed its participation, stating the kingdom "does not seek escalation but will respond to any aggression it faces." The PMF said strikes hit facilities in the provinces of Baghdad, Wasit, Nineveh, Basra, Kirkuk, Karbala, and Diyala. Iraq's President Nizar Amidi and former Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani both condemned the strikes as violations of Iraqi sovereignty.
The renewed fighting disrupted diplomatic activity. Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi convened an emergency National Security Council meeting and postponed a planned visit to Riyadh. AP and CNN reported oil prices surged roughly 3–4%, with Brent crude rising to between $84 and $87 a barrel. Analysts cited by CNN warned the escalation threw "cold water on the idea of a swift de-escalation in the Persian Gulf." The Strait of Hormuz remained a central flashpoint: Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said Tehran rejected an Omani proposal to divide shipping lanes equally, adding that Iran's policy was for the strait to "never return to its prewar situation."