Saudi Arabia Joins US Strikes as Iran War Risks Engulf the Middle East
Saudi Arabia has openly joined US military strikes against Iran-backed militias, signaling a dangerous escalation in a regional conflict that is spreading across multiple fronts and threatening global oil supplies.
The kingdom’s participation in the attack on Iran-backed militias in Iraq marks a major shift for Riyadh, which had previously tried to stay out of the growing US-Iran conflict [207542]. However, after Iran began using Iraq as a launchpad for attacks on Saudi oil fields, the kingdom could no longer avoid responding [207542]. Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman has since met with Vice President JD Vance and President Donald Trump in Washington to coordinate next steps [207294].
The conflict is now expanding beyond direct US-Iran exchanges. The Houthi militia, which controls parts of Yemen, has declared a full blockade at the Bab el-Mandeb strait, a critical passage for global oil shipments connecting the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden [207476]. This move threatens to disrupt oil supplies and could send prices soaring, following Iran’s earlier closure of the Strait of Hormuz [207476]. The blockade also threatens Egypt’s economy, as shipping routes through the Red Sea are vital for Egyptian trade [206600].
Saudi Arabia faces a difficult dilemma: keep striking back as a deterrent, or step back to calm tensions [207592]. Each military response risks dragging the country deeper into a war it does not want, but de-escalation could be seen as weakness by its rivals [207592].
Meanwhile, the US Congress remains deadlocked over the conflict. The House of Representatives voted 214-208 to order President Donald Trump to remove American forces from hostilities with Iran unless Congress approves, but the Senate rejected a motion to bring a similar resolution out of committee [207751]. Congress has neither formally approved the conflict nor taken steps to end it [207751].
Iran has stated it will not allow the United States to determine the end of the ongoing war [204614]. Tehran may be pursuing a strategy of “limited war,” applying steady pressure without triggering full-scale confrontation, aiming to test US resolve and gain leverage while stopping short of a catastrophic clash [207573].
The crisis is straining US allies beyond the region. Britain’s seventh prime minister in a decade inherits a nation shaken by the Iran conflict, with the Royal Navy stretched thin escorting oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz [206425]. Pakistan says it is working to bring the United States and Iran back to a memorandum of understanding in Islamabad, though no timeline was given [207193].
Tensions are also rising over nuclear capabilities. Saudi Arabia’s crown prince has warned that if Iran builds a nuclear bomb, the kingdom will follow “as soon as possible,” after the US and Saudi Arabia signed a nuclear agreement that critics call a “bomb-in-waiting” [206429].