Fresh Hostilities Erupt as Diplomatic Efforts StallThe United States and Saudi Arabia carried out a joint military strike against Iran-aligned armed factions in Iraq on Wednesday, marking Washington’s first military action in the Middle East since President Donald Trump halted a bombing campaign against Iran the previous week. The strikes, conducted in coordination with Riyadh, were in response to earlier drone attacks on Saudi oil facilities that had been launched from Iraqi territory, according to US and Saudi officials. Iraq’s Popular Mobilisation Forces reported that at least 20 members were killed and 32 wounded in the attacks targeting several bases across Iraq. The joint action marked the first time during the war that Saudi Arabia publicly declared its participation in joint strikes alongside the United States, potentially widening the conflict by drawing Sunni Muslim Saudi Arabia into combat against Shi’ite proxies of Iran on a new front. Iran Rejects Omani Strait of Hormuz ProposalHours before the joint attacks, Iran formally turned down an Omani-brokered plan for joint regional oversight of the Strait of Hormuz.