Five IRGC Members Returned to Iran Following US-Saudi Attacks in Iraq

A recent joint attack by the United States and Saudi Arabia in Iraq has resulted in the deaths of five Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) personnel. Iranian state media reported on Friday (31/07/2026) that the bodies of the five IRGC members were brought back to Iran via the Mehran border in the western Ilam province.

Earlier on Wednesday, the United States and Saudi Arabia announced they had targeted Iran-backed militias in Iraq, describing the operation as a response to recent Iranian attacks against Saudi Arabia. The joint offensive targeted several positions held by Al-Hashd al-Shaabi, an Iraqi armed coalition comprising several powerful pro-Iranian groups, killing at least 20 militants, including five Iranian nationals.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry has strongly condemned the airstrikes. Tehran stated that the attacks constitute a blatant violation of Baghdad’s sovereignty and a deliberate attempt by Washington and Israel to expand regional warfare.

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran strongly condemns the aggressive attacks by the United States and Saudi Arabia in several regions of Iraq,” the ministry stated in a release on Wednesday, as reported by Press TV.

The Iranian ministry described the strikes as “blatant aggression against the national sovereignty and territorial integrity of Iraq” and a “flagrant violation of Article 2, Paragraph 4 of the UN Charter and the fundamental rules of international law.” Tehran further warned that such actions align with the ambitions of the United States and the Zionist regime to expand the scope of war and conflict within the West Asian region.

Previously, the Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF) reported that at least 20 fighters were killed and 32 others wounded in the joint US-Saudi attack in Iraq. The PMF, an alliance of former paramilitary groups now integrated into the Iraqi armed forces, added that the aggression targeted PMF bases across seven provinces, including Baghdad, Nineveh in northern Iraq, and Basra in the south, also resulting in significant material damage.