Middle East war: Multiple dead in US-Saudi strikes in Iraq; Iran targets Hormuz ships

The war in the Middle East escalated once again after couple of days of fragile peace as the United States and Saudi Arabia launched joint strikes on Iran-backed armed groups in Iraq on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Iran claimed to have intercepted oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz and fired missiles at US military installations.Washington said the strikes targeted logistics and weapons sites used by Iran-backed militias to launch more than 30 drone attacks on Saudi oil facilities over the past 72 hours. The operation came hours after US Central Command (CENTCOM) said it had intercepted all Iranian ballistic missiles fired at American forces in the Middle East.The latest exchanges have renewed fears of a wider regional conflict centred on the Strait of Hormuz, the strategic waterway that normally carries about 20 per cent of the world's traded oil.US, Saudi Arabia strike Iran-backed groups in IraqThe US and Saudi Arabia said they struck multiple sites across eastern Iraq used by Iran-backed militias to direct drone attacks on Saudi Arabia's energy infrastructure.CENTCOM warned that the Revolutionary Guard and its allied groups "must cease these attacks to avoid further US military response."Saudi Arabia said it does not seek escalation but would respond to any aggression targeting the kingdom.Iran denies role in Saudi drone attacksIran rejected allegations that it directed recent drone attacks on Saudi oil facilities.An Iranian defence official described attempts to link Tehran to attacks on US interests and Saudi targets as a "major miscalculation."Iraqi militias also denied responsibility, while the Iran-backed Islamic Resistance in Iraq suggested Houthi rebels in Yemen were behind the attacks.Eight Iraqi PMF members killedIraq's Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF) said several of its headquarters were hit in the strikes.The PMF's Nineveh command said eight of its members were killed and four others wounded in the joint US-Saudi attacks in the northern Iraqi province, as reported by Al Jazeera.Flames and thick plumes of smoke rising from sites in Iraq's northern Nineveh province and southern Basra province following the joint US-Saudi strikes. The circulating footage also showed firefighters arriving at one of the targeted locations in Basra.US says it intercepted Iranian missilesEarlier, CENTCOM said it intercepted all ballistic missiles launched by Iran in what it described as an attempted surprise attack on US forces in the Middle East.Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), meanwhile, said it had fired ballistic missiles at US military installations in Jordan, while vowing to continue responding to what it called unlawful US actions.Iran hits US bases in Jordan, claims it stopped 3 oil tankers in HormuzIran launched a barrage of ballistic missiles targeting US forces in Jordan after a five-day pause in hostilities, prompting the US military to intercept all incoming projectiles, according to US Central Command (CENTCOM).The attack coincided with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to the White House, marking a renewed escalation in the conflict after several days of relative calm.The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said its naval forces struck and stopped three oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz after they ignored warnings and sailed along what it called an "unsafe and illegal route."It warned that any vessel following "unlawful US military interference" or instructions in the strategic waterway would "not go unanswered." Reuters could not independently verify the claim.Oil prices rise as diplomatic efforts continueOil prices climbed more than $3 a barrel amid concerns that renewed fighting could further disrupt energy supplies through the Strait of Hormuz.Separately, Oman has proposed a Gulf-backed framework for jointly managing navigation through the strait, while the US reiterated that the international waterway should remain free from Iranian control or restrictions.The renewed fighting comes after a short-lived lull in hostilities and as President Donald Trump warned Iran that the US would "finish the job" if Tehran failed to reach a deal to end the conflict. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also met Trump at the White House on Tuesday, with both leaders describing the talks as productive.Catch the latest World News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.