Riyadh announced it had launched strikes on targets within Iraqi territory in retaliation for drone attacks on its oil facilities, claiming the drones were launched from Iraq and carried out by Iranian-backed militias.

The Jurf al-Naddaf incident exposed the Iraqi government’s struggle to bring Iran-backed militias under state control despite reported Iranian support for disarmament, raising concerns over state authority and possible foreign intervention.

Since the U.S.-Israeli War on Iran erupted in late February 2026, followed by Iranian strikes on American bases across the Gulf, Western intelligence leaks and media reports have repeatedly pointed to an Emirati role in coordinating with “Israel.”

Andy Burnham’s rise to power is shaped by his Labour legacy, Iraq War vote, evolving Middle East positions, and the regional challenges facing his premiership.

Just days after Iraqi PM Ali al-Zaidi returned from a 5-day official visit to the U.S. where he met Trump and signed dozens of economic agreements, Ali Akbar Velayati, the Iranian supreme leader's senior adviser on international affairs, denounced the trip as "a badge of shame."