US, Saudi Arabia strike Iran-aligned militias in Iraq as IRGC targets US forces in Jordan

The IRGC’s attempt to redraw the status quo amid an uneasy stalemate comes as White House hedges its military options and Omani officials seek to bring the two enemies back to the negotiating table.

WASHINGTON — The United States and Saudi Arabia said late Tuesday they struck Iran-aligned Iraqi militias in eastern Iraq, hours after Iran fired several ballistic missiles at US forces in Jordan, in the latest escalation between Tehran and Washington.

US CENTCOM and the Saudi Defense Ministry blamed the militias for launching a wave of drone attacks into eastern and central Saudi Arabia on Monday. The US military accused the unspecified Iraqi militias of firing some 30 drone attacks on orders from Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) within a 72-hour period.

The Defense Ministry in Riyadh confirmed its forces carried out the strikes alongside the US military, adding that the kingdom does not seek escalation but will respond to attacks. A US official speaking not for attribution estimated they were carried out sometime between 7 and 8 p.m. ET.

Results of the US and Saudi strikes in Iraq were not immediately clear.

Earlier Wednesday, the IRGC fired several ballistic missiles at US forces in Jordan, the Pentagon's Middle East regional command said.

"At 5:45 p.m. ET today, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces launched multiple ballistic missiles from Iran in an attempted surprise attack on US forces based in the Middle East," US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced fewer than two hours after the attack.

"All Iranian missiles were successfully intercepted. US forces remain vigilant and at a high state of readiness," CENTCOM said.

The missile attacks targeted facilities used by US troops in Jordan, including Muwaffaq Salti Air Base, two people familiar with the attack told Al-Monitor.

Iranian missiles previously hit Muwaffaq Salti Air Base, or MSAB as it is known, earlier this month, resulting in the deaths of three US Army soldiers and wounding of others.

Wednesday's ballistic missile ambush came on the heels of several days of calm between the two sides, after the White House called off daily strikes on Iran's military sites in an abortive bid to shut down Iran's drone attacks on commercial ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz. Those attacks on shipping also paused last week.

The lull in mutual strikes signaled a hopeful climb-down after both sides declared a ceasefire agreement void. Wednesday's exchanges, however, further dimmed hopes for a smooth return to the negotiating table.

The IRGC-linked Tasnim news site disputed CENTCOM's claim that all the missiles targeting US military sites in Jordan had been intercepted, but offered no evidence to the contrary.