Iraq calls Saudi-US attacks a ‘flagrant violation of sovereignty’

Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi cancels first official trip to Saudi Arabia in protest.Iraq’s National Security Council has condemned Wednesday’s Saudi-US strikes against the Iran-backed Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF), which killed at least 20 members of the Iraqi paramilitary group.The council meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi, called the attacks on PMF bases in seven Iraqi provinces “a flagrant violation of Iraq’s sovereignty and the sanctity of its lands”.“An aggression”, according to a statement shared on X, “in contravention of the principles of international law and the United Nations Charter”.“Any transgression or compromise of Iraq’s security and sovereignty will not be tolerated under any circumstances”, it said.Iraq’s National Security Council holds an emergency meeting to discuss the Saudi-US attacks. Baghdad, Iraq, July 29, 2026 [Media Office of the Prime Minister/Handout/Reuters]Saudi Arabia and US Central Command (CENTCOM) said the joint air strikes targeted Iran-backed armed groups in Iraq responsible for attacks on American troops and Saudi energy infrastructure.The Saudi Ministry of Defence said in a statement that the strikes were “in response ⁠to recent drone attacks” and that Saudi air defences had “intercepted and destroyed several drones that attempted to target petroleum facilities in the Eastern Province and Riyadh regions… launched from Iraqi territory and carried out by Iran-aligned terrorist militias”.The Iraq" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="42834" data-entity-type="organization">Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an umbrella coalition of self-proclaimed resistance groups backed by Iran, had denied any role in the attacks on Saudi Arabia, saying the Saudi claims were “fabrications” and that “any foolish Saudi action will be met with a harsh response”.Damaged structures at the site of a strike in Bartella in the northern Iraqi Nineveh province on July 29, 2026 [AFP]The joint Saudi-US attacks, from the Iraqi cities of Kirkuk in the north to Basra in the south, killed at least 20 PMF members and at least four advisers from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), according to Iranian and Iraqi media reports.