US thwarts Iranian missile barrage, joins Saudis in Iraq strikes
Joint air raids targeted Tehran-backed militia weapons sites in Iraq in response to recent drone and missile attacks The US military said Tuesday that it knocked down an Iranian missile barrage and worked with Saudi forces to strike sites in Iraq that Tehran-backed militias used to launch attacks in recent days, shattering a brief pause in the fighting. All Iranian missiles launched against American forces in the Middle East were intercepted, US Central Command said, adding that they “remain vigilant and at a high state of readiness”. In announcing the strikes in Iraq, the US warned that further attacks on American troops or Saudi Arabia’s energy infrastructure risked additional action. The United States and Iran had experienced a period of calm, during which neither announced attacks for days following weeks of escalation over the strategic Strait of Hormuz, the Persian Gulf waterway and narrow chokepoint through which 20 per cent of the world’s oil normally flows. There was no immediate comment from Tehran on the US military statement or the strikes. The resumption of fighting comes at the end of a month packed with multiple pressure points on US President Donald Trump over the war.
