U.S. Military Claims Strikes Against Iran-Supported Targets in Iraq

On July 28, Xinhua News Agency reported from Washington (reporters Huang Qiang and Xu Jianmei) that the U.S. Central Command announced on social media that U.S. and Saudi Arabian forces struck "Iran-backed" targets in Iraq.

The report stated that the targets were "terrorists" directed by the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, who attempted to attack U.S. and Saudi energy infrastructure. This strike was in response to "more than 30 drone attacks directed by the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in the past 72 hours," with U.S. and Saudi aircraft targeting multiple "logistical and weapon facilities belonging to terrorists" in eastern Iraq.

The report also mentioned that from February to April this year, "Iran-backed militias" launched over 600 unsuccessful attacks against U.S. citizens and facilities within Iraq.

According to a report by the Iranian Fars News Agency on the 29th, citing Iraqi sources, Saudi Arabia attacked a dormitory of the Iraqi Shiite militia group "Popular Mobilization Forces" in Wasit Province, Iraq.

Iranian state television on the 29th quoted a military intelligence official as saying that Iran denies any connection to attacks on targets within Saudi Arabia by other countries. The official stated in an interview: "Attributing any actions against U.S. interests in the region to Iran is a serious misjudgment and reflects a lack of understanding of the situation in the region."

The Saudi Ministry of Defense issued a statement on the 27th, saying that Saudi air defense forces intercepted and destroyed several drones coming from the direction of Iraq that were attempting to attack oil facilities within Saudi Arabia.