Middle East on the Brink of Major War
TEHRAN – The security situation in the Middle East has grown increasingly volatile following a United States and Saudi attack on Iraq on Wednesday (28/7/2026). The strike was claimed to have killed four members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), an outcome that could trigger a retaliatory response from Tehran.
The deaths of the four IRGC members resulting from the joint Saudi-American attack on Iraq were reported by the semi-official Mehr news agency. Al Jazeera also claimed to have seen circulating photographs showing several coffins draped in flags, although there has been no official confirmation from the IRGC.
Regarding the current situation, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian called upon the Iranian people to “fight the enemy and stand firm against them so that we do not bow to injustice and oppression”.
“Likewise, we must not oppress our citizens or commit injustice against them,” he was quoted as saying by the IRNA news agency. Pezeshkian added that Iran had proven itself to be a “unique model of resistance”.
Meanwhile, Iraq’s National Security Council held an emergency meeting with the commander-in-chief of the armed forces to discuss the US-Saudi attack, which killed at least 20 militiamen.
“The meeting affirmed the government’s firm position rejecting all hostile acts, regardless of the perpetrator or the underlying reasons, and emphasised that handling and resisting such aggression is the absolute responsibility of the Iraqi government,” the council said in a statement.
The council called for “the use of diplomatic channels as a means of resolving disputes” and stated that Iraq must “stay away from regional conflict”.
Earlier, the Iraqi presidency condemned the attack as well as “the use of Iraqi territory as a launch point or battlefield for attacks against neighbouring countries”.
US President Donald Trump, speaking to Fox News, also stated there would be a response to the attack on American military assets in Jordan on Wednesday. “We will hit them hard; they will be struck mercilessly,” he said.
On the same day, an unmanned aircraft struck a US-owned gas storage tanker at the port of Damietta in Egypt, located on the Mediterranean, according to the maritime security firm Ambrey. Two gas tankers caught fire in Damietta, said the port services company Inchcape.
Amid the escalation, armed forces from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) took part in joint military exercises in Bahrain, according to a statement from the country’s Defence Force.
Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Dhiab bin Saqr al-Nuaimi said that the “Bahrain Shield” exercise, running from 28 to 30 July, aimed to enhance combat readiness, improve operational planning, and strengthen coordination among Gulf nations’ forces.
He stated that the participation of GCC armed forces “reflects the character of a robust combined Gulf military power capable of confronting various challenges”. The exercise, he added, constitutes “a solid strategic foundation for military solidarity and a strong pillar for unity against all forms of treacherous attack”.
Al-Nuaimi said the recent acts of violence in the region underscored the need for collective defence. “The treacherous attacks taking place in this region require us to develop combined military defence cooperation,” he added.