Conflict & Security
Iran receives bodies of 5 Guards killed in Iraq strikes
Iranian state media said Friday that the bodies of five Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps members killed in US-Saudi strikes in Iraq had been returned to Iran.
IRNA reported that the bodies were brought into the country through the Mehran border crossing in western Ilam province.
The United States and Saudi Arabia said Wednesday that they struck Iran-backed militants in Iraq in response to recent attacks on the Gulf kingdom. The strikes targeted positions belonging to Hashed al-Shaabi, an Iraqi armed coalition that includes powerful pro-Iran groups.
Hashed al-Shaabi has said the strikes killed at least 20 militants, including the five Iranians. Its earlier preliminary toll also listed 32 wounded.
Iraq said Thursday that it had not known about or approved the strikes, and said Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi's expected visit to Saudi Arabia had been suspended because of the attacks. Government spokesperson Haider al-Aboudi told state TV that Baghdad “did not have any knowledge” of the strikes and “did not approve any attacks on specific sites or groups in Iraq.”
The IRGC's Quds Force oversees Iran's operations abroad, and Guards members killed outside Iran are often affiliated with the unit.
Update
Iranian state media said the bodies of five IRGC members killed in the US-Saudi strikes in Iraq were returned to Iran.
IRNA said the bodies entered Iran through the Mehran border crossing in western Ilam province.
Source note: AFP news report published on 31 July 2026 at 06:29:01 UTC.
Update
Iraqi government spokesperson Haider al-Aboudi said Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi's expected visit to Saudi Arabia was suspended because of the strikes.
Armed groups operating under the Islamic Resistance in Iraq umbrella denied attacking Saudi Arabia.
Those groups warned that their response to the strikes in Iraq was “inevitable”.
Source note: AFP news report published on 30 July 2026 at 21:04:21 UTC.
Update
Iraq denied knowing of or approving the US-Saudi strikes, according to a spokesperson.
Source note: AFP news report published on 30 July 2026 at 20:09:31 UTC.
Update
Two Hashed al-Shaabi officials said five Iranian advisers were among those killed in a strike in Diyala province.
AFP journalists saw coffins wrapped in Iranian flags at a Baghdad funeral organised by Hashed al-Shaabi.
The Islamic Resistance in Iraq said a response to the United States was inevitable and could target what it called US tools in Saudi Arabia, but said any retaliation would come after Arbaeen.
Iraq's Ministerial Council for National Security said it would confront violations of sovereignty and prevent Iraqi territory being used to threaten neighbouring states.
Source note: AFP news report published on 29 July 2026 at 15:58:58 UTC.
Update
Hashed al-Shaabi said the preliminary toll was at least 20 fighters killed and 32 wounded.
Hashed al-Shaabi said bases were hit in seven provinces, including Baghdad, Nineveh and Basra.
Iraq’s government has given pro-Iran armed groups until September 30 to disarm.
Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi recently visited both the United States and Iran.
Source note: AFP news report published on 29 July 2026 at 13:16:34 UTC.
Update
The Iraqi presidency said it rejected the use of Iraqi territory to launch attacks on neighbouring countries.
The presidency's statement did not name the United States or Saudi Arabia while condemning the bombing.
Source note: AFP news report published on 29 July 2026 at 11:57:15 UTC.
Update
Iraq's presidency denounced the US-Saudi strikes as a "blatant violation".
Source note: AFP news report published on 29 July 2026 at 11:45:23 UTC.
Update
Iran's foreign ministry condemned the US-Saudi strikes in Iraq.
The ministry said the attacks were part of what it described as US-Israeli efforts to expand war and conflict in the region.
The ministry called the strikes a gross violation of the UN Charter and international law.
Source note: AFP news report published on 29 July 2026 at 11:14:39 UTC.
Update
Iran launched missiles at Jordan, and Jordan's army said it intercepted five Iranian missiles.
Iran's Revolutionary Guards said they targeted a US airbase and the US Central Command Centre in Jordan.
Crude oil prices rose after the Iraq strikes revived fears about global supplies.
Iran's Revolutionary Guards said they attacked and stopped three tankers in the Strait of Hormuz.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met US President Donald Trump in Washington during the wider crisis.
Source note: AFP news report published on 29 July 2026 at 10:00:46 UTC.
Update
The PMF said at least 20 fighters were killed and 32 wounded in a preliminary toll.
The PMF said bases were targeted in seven provinces, including Baghdad, Nineveh and Basra.
A PMF official told AFP that strikes in Nineveh and Diyala were the deadliest.
Source note: AFP news report published on 29 July 2026 at 08:01:11 UTC.
Update
The Popular Mobilization Forces said the strikes caused deaths, injuries and material damage.
The PMF described the US-Saudi strikes as a dangerous escalation, a violation of Iraq's sovereignty and an attack on official security institutions.
The source item adds PMF background and further context on Saudi allegations and Iraqi militia denials.
Source note: AFP news report published on 29 July 2026 at 05:40:26 UTC.
Update
A PMF official said the strikes hit positions across several provinces.
The official said the deadliest attack was in Nineveh province, where at least 10 members were killed.
The official said injuries were reported in other provinces.
The official said the death toll would likely rise.
A second official confirmed the initial toll.
Source note: AFP news report published on 29 July 2026 at 05:13:00 UTC.
Update
PMF sources said at least 10 people were killed in the US-Saudi strikes in Iraq.
Source note: AFP news report published on 29 July 2026 at 05:05:50 UTC.
Update
Crude oil prices rose more than 4% after the renewed Middle East flare-up.
US forces reported intercepting missiles launched by Iran at American bases in the Gulf late Tuesday.
Iran's Revolutionary Guards said they attacked and stopped three tankers in the Strait of Hormuz and claimed full control of the waterway.
Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu held closed-door talks at the White House that the administration described as positive and productive.
Source note: AFP news report published on 29 July 2026 at 04:29:18 UTC.
Update
Former paramilitaries said multiple people were dead and wounded in the US-Saudi strikes in Iraq.
Source note: AFP news report published on 29 July 2026 at 03:21:22 UTC.
Update
CENTCOM said the targets were Iran-aligned groups it said the IRGC directed to attack US forces and Saudi energy infrastructure.
Saudi Arabia's defence ministry confirmed Saudi involvement and said it hit militia targets linked to attacks on the kingdom's oil facilities.
CENTCOM warned of further US military response if the attacks continued.
Source note: AFP news report published on 29 July 2026 at 01:11:43 UTC.
Update
Saudi Arabia said it struck militia targets in Iraq in self-defence.
Source note: AFP news report published on 29 July 2026 at 00:49:17 UTC.
Update
The US military said US and Saudi warplanes carried out the strikes on Tuesday.
US Central Command said the strikes followed more than two dozen drone attacks in recent days.
CENTCOM said the targets were Iran-aligned groups that it said the IRGC directed to attack US forces and Saudi energy infrastructure.
CENTCOM warned that the IRGC and its proxies must stop the attacks to avoid further US military response.
Source note: AFP news report published on 29 July 2026 at 00:44:38 UTC.
Uncertainty notes
The source material does not independently verify the affiliation of Guards members killed outside Iran with the Quds Force.
Source
AFP news report published on .