Iran Strongly Condemns Joint US-Saudi Airstrikes on Iraq

Iran’s Foreign Ministry has strongly condemned the joint US-Saudi airstrikes in Iraq. Tehran stated the attack was a flagrant violation of Baghdad’s sovereignty and a deliberate attempt by Washington and Israel to expand the regional war.

In a statement released on Wednesday (29/7) local time, the ministry said, “The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran strongly condemns the aggressive attack by the United States and Saudi Arabia on several areas in Iraq.” The ministry described the strikes as a “blatant violation of Iraq’s national sovereignty and territorial integrity” and a “flagrant violation of Article 2, Paragraph 4 of the UN Charter and the fundamental rules of international law.”

Tehran warned that the attack was “in line with the ambitions of the United States and the Zionist regime to expand the scope of war and conflict in the West Asia region.”

Earlier, the Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF), an alliance of former paramilitary groups now integrated into the Iraqi armed forces, reported that at least 20 of its fighters were killed and 32 others wounded in the joint US-Saudi strikes. The PMF added that the “aggression” targeted its bases across seven provinces, including Baghdad, Nineveh in the north, and Basra in the south, also causing material damage. The statement condemned the “dangerous escalation” against an “official security institution.”

The United States and Saudi Arabia said they struck pro-Iran militias in Iraq in response to drone attacks targeting US forces and Saudi oil facilities. The joint operation followed an announcement by Saudi authorities that they had intercepted a drone targeting oil facilities in eastern Saudi Arabia, blaming Iran-backed groups in Iraq for the attack. The strikes occur amid mounting US pressure on the Iraqi government to disarm pro-Iran armed groups.