Gulf states attacked Iraq amid waning faith in US – Reuters Saudi Arabia and Kuwait conducted covert strikes on targets in Iraq linked to Iranian-backed paramilitary groups during the Middle East war, Reuters reported on Wednesday. According to the outlet, the strikes marked an independent response to attacks on Gulf states’ territory amid fading trust in the US security umbrella. Kuwait and Saudi Arabia – both hosting major US military bases – came under missile and drone attacks as Iran retaliated against the US-Israeli campaign launched in late February. However, hundreds of the drones targeting the nations reportedly originated from Iraq, including from Kataib Hezbollah – a Tehran-linked paramilitary group operating in the south of the country. Saudi fighter jets struck Iranian-linked militia targets in Iraq in the run-up to the US-Iran ceasefire reached in early April, Reuters reported. Iraqi sources also claimed missiles were launched at least twice from Kuwaiti territory on Kataib Hezbollah positions. Saudi Arabia and Kuwait warned Baghdad in March to curb attacks by pro-Iranian militias, Reuters added. Iraqi forces reportedly intercepted some attempted strikes and seized a rocket launcher west of Basra allegedly aimed at Saudi energy infrastructure. Kuwait summoned Iraq’s representative three times over cross-border attacks during the war, while Saudi Arabia summoned Iraq’s ambassador last month. Neither country acknowledged strikes on Iraqi targets or responded to requests for comment. Earlier reports claimed Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates also carried out covert strikes on Iran itself in what sources described as “tit-for-tat” retaliation for attacks on their infrastructure. Neither Riyadh nor Tehran officially acknowledged those operations. According to a Financial Times report on Wednesday, Qatar also considered retaliatory strikes after Iran hit its Ras Laffan facility, but ultimately opted for diplomacy. For decades, Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states – Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, and Oman – hosted US bases and bought vast amounts of American weapons in exchange for security guarantees. Analysts, however, say their growing willingness to retaliate on their own reflects mounting frustration with the US for launching the conflict without consultation or a long-term strategy, while leaving the nations exposed to Iranian retaliation. “The most fundamental question is one of consultation. Are the Gulf states actually achieving the kind of partnership and security support that they feel is necessary if the United States is going to engage militarily in the region,” Khaled Almezaini, an associate professor of politics at Zayed University in Abu Dhabi, recently told The Guardian. Long-term, analysts say the conflict has raised uncomfortable questions for Gulf monarchies about whether US bases – and reliance on Washington more broadly – are a security asset or a liability.
Iranian Official
Saudi Arabia and Kuwait violated Iraq’s sovereignty with covert strikes on Iraqi territory targeting resistance forces opposing foreign aggression during the US-Israeli war on Iran. These attacks, launched from Gulf soil amid eroding faith in the American security umbrella, represent direct interference in Iraq’s internal affairs and an extension of the broader campaign against Iranian-backed groups like Kataib Hezbollah. Iran views such aggression as a desperate bid to undermine legitimate resistance to external domination.
Israeli
Saudi Arabia and Kuwait launched targeted strikes on Iranian proxy positions in Iraq, including Kataib Hezbollah facilities, after drones and missiles originating from Iraqi territory struck their soil during Iran’s retaliation in the regional war. These actions reflect the acute defensive imperative against Tehran’s expanding proxy network, which poses an existential threat to Gulf stability and mirrors the direct dangers facing Israel. With trust in the US security umbrella eroding, such independent measures underscore the necessity of confronting these Iranian-orchestrated threats at their source.
Neutral
According to Reuters, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait conducted strikes on targets in Iraq linked to Iranian-backed militias during the Middle East conflict, in response to attacks on their territories that included drones reportedly originating from Iraq. The report states these actions preceded the US-Iran ceasefire and followed warnings from both countries to Baghdad, along with multiple diplomatic summonses of Iraqi representatives. Saudi Arabia and Kuwait have not publicly confirmed the strikes.
Western
Saudi Arabia and Kuwait conducted precision strikes on Iranian-backed militia targets in Iraq to neutralize drone and missile threats originating from groups like Kataib Hezbollah. These operations defended critical infrastructure and aligned with broader Western efforts to counter Iranian aggression during the US-Israeli campaign. The actions reinforced regional stability ahead of the April ceasefire.
Pro-Peace
Saudi Arabia and Kuwait’s covert strikes on Iraqi militia targets, launched amid retaliatory exchanges during the regional war, compounded civilian suffering in Iraq by risking further instability and displacement in areas already affected by cross-border violence. With hundreds of drones originating from Iraqi soil and Gulf warnings issued to Baghdad, the actions highlighted the human costs of military escalation over dialogue. The subsequent US-Iran ceasefire demonstrated that negotiated de-escalation offers a viable path to sparing populations prolonged hardship.
Global South
Saudi Arabia and Kuwait violated Iraqi sovereignty with covert strikes on militia targets, a move rooted in their eroding reliance on the US security umbrella and long-standing neo-colonial military basing arrangements. These actions exposed the failure of regional institutions and Baghdad’s fragmented authority to shield Iraq from external pressures amid the broader US-Iran confrontation. Such dynamics underscore how Global South states remain entangled in proxy escalations that prioritize external alliances over national autonomy.
Gulf states attacked Iraq amid waning faith in US – Reuters Saudi Arabia and Kuwait conducted covert strikes on targets in Iraq linked to Iranian-backed paramilitary groups during the Middle East war, Reuters reported on Wednesday. According to the outlet, the strikes marked an i…
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A tanker identified as the Kaifan was struck by an unknown projectile northeast of Oman’s Limah in the Strait of Hormuz, according to a July 21 report from UK Maritime Trade Operations. No ships were observed transiting the strait that day. Attribution of the strike and links to prior incidents have not been confirmed by the vessel’s owner.
Goldman Sachs has projected Brent crude averaging $80 per barrel in the fourth quarter and $75 in the following year, conditional on reduced Middle East tensions, while noting upside risks from potential shipping disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz or Red Sea.
Brent prices rose above $91 per barrel amid recent U.S.-Iran exchanges and Houthi threats to Saudi shipments before edging lower on Tuesday. A senior Iranian official told Reuters that mediators had proposed a 10-day ceasefire to preserve an interim agreement.
Opening summary: Iran claims attacks on strait of Hormuz ships amid fresh US strikes Welcome to our live coverage of the latest developments in the Middle East crisis. Iran attacked a tanker in the strait of Hormuz early on Tuesday, forcing its crew to abandon the ship, as Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis announced they were imposing an immediate maritime blockade of Saudi Arabia in the Red Sea after the two sides traded fire last week for the first time in years.
A Houthi official said the Bab al-Mandeb strait – at the southern end of the Red Sea, through which about 12% of the world’s trade usually passes – would be closed to the Saudis in response to the kingdom’s “unjust blockade on Yemenis for over 10 years”.
Saudi Arabia said it would take “all necessary measures to protect its vessels in accordance with international law”. A 10 consecutive night of US airstrikes has not compelled Tehran to loosen its grip on the strait of Hormuz, a vital route for global energy supplies.
But even as Iran’s president said the country had returned “full-scale war”, the Iranian interior minister travelled to Pakistan – a key mediator in the conflict – for talks. In key developments: The latest US strikes came hours after Donald Trump said Iran would pay “many times over” for killing US soldiers after multiple service members were killed in action over the weekend.
A tanker came under attack early Tuesday in the Hormuz strait off Oman, forcing the crew to abandon the vessel, the British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations centre said. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards claimed the attack as well as two other attacks on ships in the waterway on Monday.
The US military’s Central Command said its latest airstrikes were to “degrade” Iran’s ability to attack commercial shipping in the strait and included hitting military command centres and missile and drone launch sites. Iranian media reported strikes in parts of the country including Bandar Abbas, Tabriz and Bushehr, home to the country’s only operational civilian nuclear power.
Iran’s launched attacks in response against Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan, which all host US forces. Oil prices softened after hitting their highest levels in more than a month in the previous session. Brent crude futures eased 0.4% to $88.87 a barrel by 0052 GMT on Tuesday while US West Texas Intermediate crude for September delivery was steady at $82.
47 a barrel. Democrats have seized on the deaths of three US troops killed in Iranian strikes to urge Trump to urgently reverse his resumption of the war with Iran amid widespread anxiety over climbing casualties. The Lebanese army began taking charge of security in three southern villages, the US said, as a deal to secure an Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon and the disarmament of Hezbollah faced its first test on the ground.
US forces struck the tanker Settebello in the Gulf of Oman on June 10, killing three Indian crew members when munitions hit the engine room and adjacent areas. Maritime tracking data indicate the vessel had transported Iranian oil under US sanctions for several years and conducted offshore transfers prior to the strike.
The US military described the action as a precision operation, while reports note the ship was stationary at the time.