UK looks to build naval coalition to secure shipping in Strait of Hormuz
US and Saudi forces said they struck an Iraqi militant alliance on July 29, as the Middle East war expands beyond its main focus in Iran to involve the Islamic republic's proxies.
The strikes follow a short lull in direct US attacks on targets in Iran, with Tehran's allies in Yemen and beyond becoming increasingly drawn in. This comes as the UK is looking to build a naval coalition to secure the Strait of Hormuz. the broadcaster's Angela Diffley tells us more.
Trump says US-Saudi attacks in Iraq coordinated with Iraqi govt, Fox News reports
Iraq presidency denounces deadly US-Saudi strikes as a 'blatant violation'
The Iraqi presidency on Wednesday condemned the US-Saudi strikes that targeted the Popular Mobilisation Forces, or Hashed al-Shaabi, an armed Iraqi alliance that includes powerful pro-Iran factions.
The presidency, which did not name the United States and Saudi Arabia, said it "denounces the bombing that targeted the Hashed al-Shaabi bases and considers it an unacceptable attack and a blatant violation of Iraq's sovereignty, targeting its official institutions". It also said it rejects the use of Iraqi territory to launch attacks on neighbouring countries.
Iraq's Tehran-backed Nujaba armed group says US and Saudis will face consequences after deadly strikes
Iraq's Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba, an Iran-backed militia, said Washington's and Riyadh's interests and security would face consequences after the US and Saudi Arabia jointly struck armed groups in Iraq.
IDF accuses Hezbollah of launching drone against vehicle in occupied southern Lebanon
The Israeli military accused Hezbollah of launching a drone towards a vehicle in the area of the Ali al-Taher ridge within the Israeli-occupied "security zone” in southern Lebanon, adding that no troops were injured.
It said the incident constituted a "blatant violation" of the ceasefire agreement by Hezbollah.
Iran foreign ministry condemns lethal US-Saudi attacks on Iraq
Iran's foreign ministry condemned deadly US-Saudi strikes in Iraq, saying such attacks were part of US-Israeli attempts to expand the war in the region.
"These attacks... are in line with the aspirations of the United States and the Zionist regime to expand the scope of war and conflict in the West Asian region," the ministry said in a statement, calling them a "gross violation" of the UN Charter and international law.
Iran state TV says US struck near Iraq border
Iranian state television said the US struck a city in the country's northwest on the border with Iraq.
"A few minutes ago, an area in the Piranshahr border area was attacked by American enemy airstrikes," state television reported.
Fars news agency earlier quoted an official in West Azerbaijan province as saying a missile hit an uninhabited area, leaving no casualties.
Iran state TV says US struck near Iraq border
Iranian state television said the US struck a city in the country's northwest on the border with Iraq.
"A few minutes ago, an area in the Piranshahr border area was attacked by American enemy air strikes," state television reported.
Fars news agency earlier quoted an official in West Azerbaijan province as saying a missile hit an uninhabited area, leaving no casualties.
Who are the Popular Mobilisation Forces hit by the US and Saudi Arabia?
The Hashed al-Shaabi alliance, also known as the Popular Mobilisation Forces, was created in 2014 to fight jihadists before it was formally integrated into Iraq’s armed forces.
It includes brigades belonging to Iran-backed groups that have a reputation for acting unilaterally.
The alliance denounced Wednesday's deadly US-Saudi strikes as a "dangerous escalation" against an "official security institution".
The US and Iran are Iraq's main allies, but their enmity has long turned the country into a proxy battleground and left successive governments struggling to maintain a delicate balance between the foes.
US-Saudi strikes in Iraq killed at least 20 people, former paramilitary says
The Iran-backed Iraqi Popular Mobilisation Forces said at least 20 of its members were killed and 32 wounded in US-Saudi strikes targeting several of its bases across Iraq early on Wednesday.
US-Saudi strikes on Iraq killed at least 10 people, Popular Mobilisation Forces sources say
At least 10 members of an Iraqi former paramilitary alliance were killed in US-Saudi strikes on their bases in the country, two alliance sources told reporters.
The strikes hit positions belonging to the Hashed al-Shaabi, or the Popular Mobilisation Forces, "across several provinces, with the deadliest attack in Nineveh province, where at least 10 members were killed", an official said, adding that the toll will likely rise.
Injuries were reported in other provinces, he added. Another official confirmed the initial toll.
Tehran rejects Oman's proposal for regional joint management of Hormuz Strait, senior Iranian offical says
Tehran has ruled out Oman's proposal for regional joint management of the Strait of Hormuz, saying it has no chance of success, a senior Iranian official told Reuters.
The US and Saudi Arabia are trying to pressure Oman to advance their "unrealistic plans" regarding the strategic strait, the official added.
Jordan says it shot down five missiles coming from Iran, state news agency reports
Jordan's army said it intercepted and downed five Iranian missiles Wednesday morning.
"Air defences this morning dealt with five missiles coming from Iran targeting the kingdom's territory," the spokesman of the Jordanian army said in a statement, adding that the missiles were "intercepted and downed".
Multiple dead and wounded in US-Saudi strikes in Iraq
A coalition of pro-Iran former paramilitaries in Iraq said Wednesday that multiple people were killed and wounded in US-Saudi strikes in the country.
The Popular Mobilisation Forces said preliminary reports indicated several people were killed and others wounded, with damage to a number of its buildings and facilities.
Iran Guards say halted 3 oil tankers in Hormuz: media
Iran's Revolutionary Guards said they struck and halted three oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz, Iranian media reported Wednesday, despite a lull in fighting between the Washington and Tehran.
The Guards' navy said "three violating oil tankers, which ignored our warnings and continued sailing an unsafe and illegal route, were struck and brought to a halt", the Tasnim News agency reported.
Iran to get Chinese shoulder-launched missile systems in weeks, sources tell Reuters
Iran is expected to receive within weeks a first shipment of up to 400 Chinese-made shoulder-fired air-defence missile launchers, three sources familiar with the deal told Reuters, as it rebuilds its defences amid war with the United States.
The purchase, valued at $60-70 million, is one of Tehran's largest-known efforts to strengthen its short-range air defences since the outbreak of its war with the US and Israel, which exposed gaps in Iran's ability to protect military sites and strategic infrastructure.
The contract covers the purchase of between 300 and 400 man-portable air defence systems (MANPADS), including Chinese-made QW-12 and FN-16 missiles, the sources said.
The deal was signed with Zhongqing Baoshang International Investment, a Hong Kong-based company that the sources said was acting as an intermediary between the Iranian side and the Chinese supplier.
Oil prices jump after renewed tension in region
Oil prices jumped more than 3 percent in early Asian trade on Wednesday after the US military said it had intercepted multiple missiles launched by Iran.
At around 3am GMT, US benchmark West Texas Intermediate was up 3.71 percent at $82.20 a barrel, while North Sea Brent crude had gained 3.82 percent to $87.30.
US and Saudi forces strike Iran-backed 'terrorists' in Iraq: US military
US and Saudi warplanes carried out strikes on Tuesday against Iran-backed militants in Iraq who launched more than two dozen drone attacks in recent days, the US military said.
The strikes targeted "Iran-aligned terrorists that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) directed to attack US forces and Saudi energy infrastructure", US Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement.
It further warned that "the IRGC and its terrorist proxies must cease these attacks to avoid further US military response".
Saudi Arabia confirmed its involvement in the strikes, with its defence ministry saying it hit "targets belonging to those militias present on Iraqi territory that are linked to attacks on the kingdom's oil facilities".
US military says it has intercepted missiles from Iran
The US military said Tuesday that it knocked down an Iranian missile barrage, a sign of tension after a lull in fighting that lasted several days.
Iran launched the missiles "in an attempted surprise attack on US forces based in the Middle East", according to CENTCOM.
"All Iranian missiles were successfully intercepted. US forces remain vigilant and at a high state of readiness," it continued, in a post on X (formerly known as Twitter).
(the broadcaster with AFP, AP and Reuters)
