Iran: Saudis denied joining Iraq attacks
Shafaq News- Tehran
Saudi Arabia told Iran through diplomatic channels that it had not participated in last week’s strikes on Iraq, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei said on Monday.
Baqaei told a press conference that Tehran had lodged a strong protest through several channels after condemning the attack as a US-Saudi operation, and rejected Riyadh’s explanation, as several Iranian citizens were killed.
He stressed that Iraq’s sovereignty and public safety were particularly important during Arbaeen*, when millions of pilgrims travel to Karbala, and accused Washington of hostility toward occasions and sites sacred to Shia Muslims.
On July 29, US Central Command (CENTCOM) and Saudi Arabia confirmed coordinated strikes against weapons depots and logistics facilities linked to Iran-aligned groups in eastern Iraq. CENTCOM claimed that the operation followed more than 30 drone attacks over 72 hours that it attributed to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), while Riyadh said the strikes responded to attempted attacks on Saudi petroleum facilities launched from Iraqi territory.
The Popular Mobilization Forces recorded 20 personnel killed and 32 wounded across Baghdad, Wasit, Nineveh, Basra, Kirkuk, Karbala, and Diyala. Iran’s semi-official Mehr News Agency reported that four IRGC members were among those killed.
* Observed this year on August 4, Arbaeen marks the 40th day after the martyrdom of Imam Hussein, the third Shia Imam and grandson of the Prophet Muhammad.
