Live: US and Saudi Arabia launch strikes on Iraq, target Iran allies
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By: FRANCE 24 Screengrab made on July 18, 2026 from handout video footage released by the US Central Command (CENTCOM) shows what the US military says is the latest wave of precision strikes on Iranian military sites. © AFP via Handout US Central Command Public Affairs 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. Meanwhile, Iran's Revolutionary Guards said they struck and halted three oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz early Wednesday. Follow our live blog for the latest developments.
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.
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'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 is expected to receive within weeks a first shipment out 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 jumped more than 3% in early Asian trade on Wednesday after the US military said it had intercepted multiple missiles launched by Iran.
At around 3 am GMT, US benchmark West Texas Intermediate was up 3.71% at $82.20 a barrel, while North Sea Brent crude had gained 3.82% to $87.30.
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."
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).
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