Saudi Arabia joins US airstrikes on Iran-backed militias in Iraq

Saudi Arabia announced last week that it had joined American forces in conducting airstrikes on Iraq's Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), a coalition of Iran-backed militias accused of attacks on both U.S. and Saudi assets in the region.

The Saudi attack came in response to recent drone attacks targeting oil facilities "launched from Iraqi territory and carried out by Iran-aligned terrorist militias," the kingdom's Ministry of Defense said in a statement on X.

'Highly Dangerous Escalation'

The latest assault is a "highly dangerous escalation," the PMF said, according to Al Jazeera. Iran's Foreign Ministry also condemned the "aggressive attacks" as a violation of Iraq's "national sovereignty and territorial integrity."

The Kingdom 'Does Not Seek Escalation'

After spending months "trying not to get dragged into a regional conflict," Saudi Arabia "appears hemmed in, facing enemies in three directions" between Iran and its proxies in Iraq and Yemen, according to CNN. Saudi Arabia's strategy of "opening the kingdom up to foreign investment" and making it the "regional economic powerhouse" is "now on life support." At the same time, embroiling itself in a "broader conflict" would be a "risky and potentially costly option" for Riyadh.

Saudi Arabia's strikes, conducted "in coordination with U.S. Central Command," mark the country's "first announced foray" into the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran, said USA Today. However, previous reports from Reuters, citing "unnamed Western and Iranian officials," indicated that Saudi Arabia had "launched covert strikes on the Islamic Republic" earlier this year.

These most recent attacks stem from the kingdom's "legitimate right to defend itself and its capabilities," the Saudi Defense Ministry said in a statement. Riyadh also reserves the "right to respond at the appropriate time and place."

While Saudi Arabia "does not seek escalation," the ministry said, it will "respond to any aggression it faces."

Diplomatic Concerns

Over the weekend, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman spoke with President Donald Trump and "expressed concern over his plans for massive new strikes" against Iran, according to Axios. Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman expressed similar sentiments at a recent meeting with Vice President J.D. Vance, emphasizing "deescalation with Iran" shortly after the joint U.S.-Saudi strikes, the outlet reported.

The PMF's Contentious Role

The PMF in particular has "always been a contentious" issue between Iraq, the U.S., and "other neighboring countries" like Iran, said Al Jazeera. The Iraqi group exists as "part of the country's security force," reports "directly to the commander-in-chief who is also the prime minister," and has "at times struck the U.S. embassy in Baghdad and bases across Iraq at will" while refusing government orders.

'Unpalatable Choice'

Unlike previous clandestine entanglements, Riyadh's "overt involvement" in regional fighting "marks a new turning point in the conflict," said The Guardian.

"There is a feeling" among Saudi leadership that the Iranians are "doing what they are doing because they feel that the Gulf Arab states won't move up the escalatory ladder," said H.A. Hellyer, the Royal United Services Institute's senior associate fellow in Middle East studies, to the outlet. Riyadh wants to "make it clear that assessment is wrong and that if Tehran thinks the Gulf states are easy prey, they are wrong."

Should Saudi Arabia come under direct Iranian attack, "it could face an unpalatable choice," said CNN. Either it must "respond directly in a way that would draw it more deeply into war" or risk emboldening a Tehran "regime that many see as more hardline than before the war."