Iran launched a surprise attack on Jordan and American bases there on Tuesday evening. In that context, it is of little help that Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says they want negotiations. Iran says one thing and does another. This time, however, they received a response: Saudi Arabian and American aircraft flew wing-to-wing and attacked Iranian-backed groups in Iraq.
Iran has done much to provoke the United States. It continues to attack neighbouring countries, has mobilised the Houthis, is negotiating with Oman over the Strait of Hormuz while simultaneously attacking ships, and is releasing videos calling for the murder of the First Lady of the United States and the couple’s son, Barron. Hardly a smart approach if one seeks a diplomatic solution.
Trump has taken a couple of days’ pause from the bombing. But he will be forced to respond.
The U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) and Saudi Arabian forces carried out precision strikes on Tuesday against “terrorists allied with Iran” in eastern Iraq, CENTCOM announced.
“The U.S. Central Command and the Saudi Armed Forces conducted precision strikes in Iraq on 28 July against terrorists allied with Iran, whom the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) had directed to attack U.S. forces and Saudi energy infrastructure,” CENTCOM wrote on X.
American and Saudi fighter aircraft struck multiple weapons and logistics sites in response to more than 30 IRGC-directed drone attacks over the past 72 hours, according to the command.
CENTCOM stated that the attacks against American forces had failed.
“From February to April 2026, there were more than 600 attempted attacks against American citizens and facilities carried out by Iran-allied terrorist militias in Iraq,” CENTCOM said. “The IRGC and its terrorist proxies must cease these attacks to avoid further military responses from the United States.”
Ukraine became embroiled in a second war when it attacked an Iranian ship.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Tuesday that Tehran “does not seek escalation” after speaking with Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha.
“I received assurances from [Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha] that the attack on an Iranian ship was unintentional and that Ukraine does not seek any escalation,” Araghchi wrote on X. “Iran likewise does not seek escalation, but has made it clear that any attack on our citizens or interests is unacceptable.”
Araghchi added: “Compensation must be paid for the losses.”
The EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Kaja Kallas, spoke with Abbas Araghchi and asked Iran to sever its ties with Russia.
A leading Iran expert has urged the British government to close an Islamic centre which he claims has functioned as an office for the regime’s Supreme Leader, following a shocking report that the Iranian regime has smuggled agents into the United Kingdom.
The Islamic Centre in England recently came under scrutiny following revelations that the British government had allegedly allowed the centre to act as a visa sponsor for imams. The report comes at a time when Iran has stated that the United Kingdom is a legitimate target if it allows the United States to use its bases to conduct air operations against Tehran.
The reported green light for imams to obtain visas as “skilled workers” for the Islamic Centre raises profound questions about dangerous gaps in Britain’s national security and immigration policies, according to lawmakers and Middle East experts.
Kasra Aarabi, Director of IRGC Research (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps) at United Against Nuclear Iran, told Fox News Digital: “In light of the IRGC’s threat to attack the United Kingdom and reports that it has exploited the illegal migrant crisis to send ‘Islamic revolutionary agents’ into the country, the British government simply must not tolerate the existence of this Islamist extremist infrastructure on British soil.”