Iran live updates: US, Saudi Arabia strike Iran-backed militias in Iraq, CENTCOM says

Wed, July 29, 2026 at 10:14 AM UTC

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President Donald Trump announced "major combat operations" against Iran on Feb. 28, with massive joint U.S.-Israeli strikes targeting military, government and infrastructure sites.

Delegations from the U.S. and Iran entered negotiations in June aimed at a war-ending deal based on a memorandum of understanding signed by both countries.

The U.S. and Iran have nonetheless continued to exchange strikes, with the strategic Strait of Hormuz the primary flashpoint.

Latest Developments

Jul 29, 4:25 AMJordan shoots down 5 missiles fired from Iran, state media says

Jordan's official Petra news agency said the country's air defenses shot down five missiles fired from Iran on Wednesday morning.

Jul 29, 4:25 AMSaudi Foreign Ministry condemns 'reckless' Iraqi militias after strikes

The Saudi Arabian Foreign Ministry on Wednesday posted a statement to X condemning what it called "reprehensible drone attacks carried out against the Kingdom by Iran-backed militias in Iraq, and reaffirming the Kingdom's determination to deter the perpetrators and its right to respond."

The statement said that the joint U.S.-Saudi strikes "were undertaken in the exercise." The ministry added that Riyadh "does not seek escalation," but "should it be subjected to any further attacks, it will not hesitate to take all necessary measures to safeguard its sovereignty and protect its citizens and national assets."The ministry posted the statement hours after U.S. and Saudi forces launched airstrikes on Iranian-backed militias in Iraq. The strikes were a response to three days of attacks on Saudi energy sites launched from inside Iraq.The Saudi ministry said it was "exerting every effort to help de-escalate tensions in the region in a manner that preserves its security and stability.""These Iran-backed terrorist militias chose a reckless path of escalation, in blatant violation of international law, in disregard of the obligations of Islamic brotherhood, including adherence to the principles of good neighborliness," it added.

-ABC News' Clark Bentson

Jul 28, 8:42 PMUS, Saudi Arabia strike in Iraq, targeting Iranian proxy groups: CENTCOM

The U.S. and Saudi Arabia carried out “precision strikes” inside Iraq targeting Iran-backed proxy groups, U.S. Central Command said Tuesday, a move that comes in response to the attacks on Saudi energy sites from inside Iraq over the last three days.

Jul 28, 6:47 PMUS intercepts Iranian missiles in 'attempted surprise attack' in Middle East: CENTCOM

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The U.S. intercepted an "attempted surprise attack" on U.S. forces in the Middle East on Tuesday, according to U.S. Central Command."At 5:45 p.m. ET today, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces launched multiple ballistic missiles from Iran in an attempted surprise attack on U.S. forces based in the Middle East," CENTCOM said in a statement. "All Iranian missiles were successfully intercepted. U.S. forces remain vigilant and at a high state of readiness."CENTCOM did not identify the exact location of the targeted U.S. forces.

US Central Command (CENTCOM)/AFP - PHOTO: TOPSHOT-US-IRAN-ISRAEL-WAR

Jul 28, 2:28 PMIran claims US attacks damaged Iran's civilian infrastructure, killed over 350 government employees

The recent U.S. attacks on Iran caused "severe damage" to civilian infrastructure across Iran, including airports, bridges, railways and energy facilities, Iranian government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani said during a press briefing Tuesday. Mohajerani also said more than 350 Iranian government employees had been killed. Twelve bridges and two tunnels have also been damaged, she said. "The recent attacks have inflicted severe damage on civilian infrastructure across the region. Tourism businesses have suffered crippling losses. In Bushehr, the Meteorological Center, a purely civilian facility dedicated solely to weather forecasting, has been almost entirely razed, with virtually nothing left standing," Mohajerani said.Adding, "The Bushehr Airport has likewise been rendered completely inoperable and will require total reconstruction. Furthermore, the maritime control tower at Chabahar has been destroyed."

Jul 28, 2:11 PMHouthis claim to have struck another Saudi oil tanker

The Houthis claimed to have attacked a Saudi oil tanker NCC GHAZAL in the Red Sea with several ballistic missiles "for violating the maritime blockade imposed on the Saudi enemy," the Houthis said in a post on X.

Jul 28, 1:08 PMTrump-Netanyahu White House meeting endsPresident Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's White House meeting has ended, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Tuesday.

Jul 28, 11:24 AMNetanyahu arrives at White House

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived at the White House for a closed-door Oval Office meeting with President Donald Trump on Tuesday.

Jul 28, 10:53 AMNetanyahu to present Trump with new intelligence on Iran's military capabilities

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will present President Donald Trump with new Israeli intelligence on Iran's efforts to rebuild it's military capabilities during their White House meeting Tuesday, sources tell ABC News.

Jul 28, 9:48 AMTrump criticizes Netanyahu over Israeli Pickaxe Mountain intel

President Donald Trump on Tuesday morning reiterated his threats to strike Iran's critical infrastructure and criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a phone interview with Fox and Friends.Trump is set to meet with Netanyahu in the Oval Office at 11 a.m. ET. The president criticized Netanyahu over media reports suggesting Netanyahu planned to discuss Israeli intelligence about potential Iranian excavation at Pickaxe Mountain, which lies one mile south of the Natanz nuclear enrichment complex near Isfahan."Well, I don't need Bibi to tell me that. Bibi is telling me that because he wants me to stay involved," Trump said."I heard Bibi announced that. I said, why don't you just tell it to me? Why do you have to announce it to the world? I know exactly what's going on at Pickaxe. It's not a big problem. We took out their nuclear sites and we'll have to take out Pickaxe if we don't make a deal," Trump added.The president also again said that the U.S. and Iran were still talking -- something the Iranians have dismissed. But the president refused to address questions about who exactly the administration was speaking to in Iran."For some reason, we can be in the midst of a beautiful discussion and they'll come out and say, we're not talking or we didn't discuss nuclear. Well, that's all we discussed, because they'll never have a nuclear weapon," he said.The president again floated strikes on Iran's power plants, bridges and desalination plants -- a threat he has previously walked back."I would say in two hours. Most of the bridges, the major bridges will all be gone. And the power plants in one day. And, you know, if I can avoid doing that, I'd like to do that," Trump said, giving a timeline for how long he said it would take for the U.S. to accomplish such an objective."And then there's always the desalinization plants. And who am I hurting there? I'm hurting the people. So I'm not looking to do that," he added.Trump also acknowledged "a lot of competing factions" within the GOP on Iran. He said, "I have many Republicans that want me to keep going," while another group "says, this is actually a good time to make a deal for them," he added.Trump later dismissed the war as a "little situation" and sought to assuage fears over the economic impact of the war. "This is going to be better soon as this little situation gets worked out. I believe it's going to be better. It already is better," he said.-ABC News' Nicholas Kerr

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