US Launched Heavy Strikes as Iran War Escalates | The Fourcast Indicators

July 30, 2026 | The war between the United States and Iran has spread across the Middle East. Fresh strikes in Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Egypt, alongside escalating Houthi attacks on international shipping, have raised fears that the region is entering a dangerous new phase.

With Washington intensifying its military campaign and Iran relying on its network of allied militias, is this becoming a wider regional war?

On this episode of The Fourcast: Indicators, Matt Frei and Mark Urban are joined by Professor Madawi al-Rasheed from the London School of Economics Middle East Centre. They discuss why the Houthis are stepping up attacks, whether Saudi Arabia is being pulled into the fighting despite its efforts to avoid it, how Iraqi militias could become a new flashpoint, and whether the US has a long-term strategy, or is being drawn into another prolonged Middle East war.

Is there still a path to de-escalation, or are we witnessing the beginning of a conflict that could engulf the wider region?


With sound judgment, this war, suffering, and death could have been avoided. The Iran War is illegitimate and quite unnecessary. It’s a war which America is almost destined to lose. Furthermore, it is a war which could very easily spiral out of control. The world is paying a very high price for the foolishness and extremely poor, infantile judgment of voters in America! — © Mark Alexander

Iran and US Trade Strikes Ending Lull in Fighting | BBC News

July 29, 2026 | Saudi Arabia and the US have carried out strikes against Iran-backed militias in Iraq, in a potential escalation of the Middle East conflict.

US Central Command said the strikes were against "Iran-aligned terrorists that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps directed to attack US forces and Saudi energy infrastructure".

Iraq's paramilitary Popular Mobilisation Forces, which is dominated by Iran-backed Shia militias, said at least 20 of its members had been killed in US-Saudi strikes on its bases.

It came hours after Centcom said Iran had launched missiles at US forces in the Middle East in an "attempted surprise attack", ending a lull in hostilities.

Saudi Joins War after ‘Surprise’ Iranian Attack on US Bases

THE TELEGRAPH: The US has launched strikes on “Iran-aligned terrorists” in Iraq as part of a joint operation with Saudi Arabia.

After five days without tit-for-tat strikes, Tehran launched an unprovoked “surprise attack” on American forces in the region overnight, firing ballistic missiles at bases in Jordan.

In retaliatory strikes by the US and Saudi Arabia, the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), a Tehran-backed militia, said at least 20 people were killed across several of its bases across Iraq.

The attacks mark the first time Saudi Arabia has publicly joined the war in months after previously carrying out secret strikes against Iran.

The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps also struck three tankers in the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday, despite previous threats by Donald Trump to destroy an Iranian bridge or power plant every time a ship is hit in the waterway. » | Emily Smith | Foreign Breaking News Reporter | Wednesday, July 29, 2026

How the US Backed Khomeini, Then Armed Saddam | Scott Horton | UNAPOLOGETIC

The US backed Khomeini's return to power, then a year later greenlit Saddam Hussein's invasion of Iran, the same country it had just warned Saddam might attack.

In this latest episode of UNAPOLOGETIC, radio host and presenter of The Scott Horton Show, Scott Horton, sat down with MEE's Ashfaaq Carim to discuss the history of the US and its impact in the region.

They also touched on Netanyahu's "new Middle East" doctrine and whether real US pressure could actually force him to fall in line.

UNAPOLOGETIC is hosted by Ashfaaq Carim.

Iraq Closes Oil Terminals as Energy Prices Surge

THE NEW YORK TIMES: Two oil tankers were burning off the Iraqi coast on Thursday as the conflict in the Middle East deepened disruptions to the global energy supply. Israeli airstrikes also shook Beirut, the Lebanese capital.

Iraq and Oman closed oil terminals on Thursday after two tankers were attacked and left burning off Iraq’s coast, as the war in the Middle East continued to disrupt energy markets.

Oil prices surged despite a coordinated effort by the United States and other major economies to calm markets by pledging on Wednesday to release 400 million barrels of oil from their emergency reserves.

Iran has said that it would not allow oil shipments that benefit the United States and its allies to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, the waterway through which one-fifth of the world’s oil passes. Several merchant vessels have been attacked in and around the strait since U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran began last month.

Iraqi officials said that they believed that Iran was responsible for the attack on the tankers off Iraq’s coast, which killed one person. The two oil tankers were used by Iraq for its own oil transport and were attacked while in a ship-to-ship transfer area, according to the country’s oil export authority. Iran had no responded publicly to the claim.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations, a British maritime agency, said that a third ship was struck by an unknown projectile near Dubai. Security concerns on Thursday also forced the closure of an oil export terminal in Oman. It was unclear who was responsible for the attacks.

Iran’s military said it had launched attacks on Thursday morning targeting Israeli military bases and security services, according to Iranian state media. Waves of airstrikes also shook Beirut and Tehran on Wednesday and into Thursday morning. Iran War Live Updates » | Rebecca Elliott, John Yoon, Aurelien Breeden and Erika Solomon | Thursday, March 12, 2026

The Arab Jew Experience Exposes the Myths of Middle Eastern Antisemitism | The Chris Hedges Report

August 14, 2024

Fear and Survival: Being LGBTQ in Iraq - BBC World Service | Reupload

May 14, 2022 | For Iraq’s LGBTQ+ community, life is difficult and dangerous. In a society that sees itself as modest, traditional and deeply religious, many refuse to believe in anything other than heterosexuality. Being gay or non-binary doesn’t break any laws, but people in these groups still live in fear.

Every day the community faces physical violence, or even the fear of being murdered if their secret is uncovered. Sexual assaults are also common, and the toll on their mental health is severe.

BBC journalist Anna Foster meets three young LGBTQ+ people in Iraqi Kurdistan and hears about the abuse they’ve experienced and their hopes for the future. In a place where many people believe society is changing and modernising, that’s far from the reality for them.

Correspondent: Anna Foster
Senior producer: Stephanie Constantine
Produced, filmed and edited by Jewan Abdi

Iraq Passes Laws that Critics Say Will Allow Child Marriage

THE GUARDIAN: Proponents of the amendments – described by activists as ‘disastrous’ – say they align with Islamic principles

Iraq’s parliament has passed amendments to the country’s personal status law that opponents say would in effect legalise child marriage.

The amendments give Islamic courts increased authority over family matters, including marriage, divorce and inheritance. Activists argue that this undermines Iraq’s 1959 Personal Status Law, which unified family law and established safeguards for women.

Iraqi law currently sets 18 as the minimum age of marriage in most cases. The changes passed on Tuesday would let clerics rule according to their interpretation of Islamic law, which some interpret to allow marriage of girls in their early teens – or as young as nine under the Jaafari school of Islamic law followed by many Shia religious authorities in Iraq.

Proponents of the changes, which were advocated by primarily conservative Shia lawmakers, defend them as a means to align the law with Islamic principles and reduce western influence on Iraqi culture. » | Associated Press in Baghdad | Tuesday, January 21, 2025

ماجد المهندس - يا رايح وين مسافر | جلسة ماجد صوت الحب

May 22, 2024 | Majid Almohandis

When I listen to this beautiful song, I experience a longing for the Middle East. The Middle East has a magic all of its own.

Wenn ich dieses wunderschöne Lied höre, überkommt mich eine Sehnsucht nach dem Nahen Osten. Der Nahe Osten hat seine ganz eigene Magie.

Quand j'écoute cette belle chanson, je ressens une nostalgie pour le Moyen-Orient. Le Moyen-Orient a sa propre magie. – © Mark Alexander

ماجد المهندس - يا رايح وين مسافر | جلسة ماجد صوت الحب

May 22, 2024 | Majid Almohandis

WIKIPEDIA: Majid Al Mohandis »

This Arabic music is beautiful and cheerful. Let us hear it again.

Diese arabische Musik ist wunderschön und fröhlich. Hören wir sie uns noch einmal an.

Cette musique arabe est belle et joyeuse. Écoutons-la à nouveau.

هذه الموسيقى العربية جميلة ومبهجة. دعونا نسمع ذلك مرة أخرى — Mark

ماجد المهندس - يا رايح وين مسافر | جلسة ماجد صوت الحب

May 22, 2024 | Majid Almohandis

WIKIPEDIA: Majid Al Mohandis »

Fear and Survival: Being LGBTQ in Iraq - BBC World Service

May 14, 2022 | For Iraq’s LGBTQ+ community, life is difficult and dangerous. In a society that sees itself as modest, traditional and deeply religious, many refuse to believe in anything other than heterosexuality. Being gay or non-binary doesn’t break any laws, but people in these groups still live in fear.

Every day the community faces physical violence, or even the fear of being murdered if their secret is uncovered. Sexual assaults are also common, and the toll on their mental health is severe.

BBC journalist Anna Foster meets three young LGBTQ+ people in Iraqi Kurdistan and hears about the abuse they’ve experienced and their hopes for the future. In a place where many people believe society is changing and modernising, that’s far from the reality for them.

Correspondent: Anna Foster
Senior producer: Stephanie Constantine
Produced, filmed and edited by Jewan Abdi

After Escaping Certain Death in the Middle East, Gay Man Faces New Challenges in America

May 26, 2021 A young man’s life was in danger. Seen as too gay, too western, or both, his safety and that of his family were constantly threatened - even resulting in death of a family member. Thanks to hard work and a Fulbright scholarship, he was able to enroll in grad school and relocate to the United States. While his new home country offered a more hospitable environment for living an openly gay life, he quickly learned that while his life was no longer in danger, persecution of another kind was ever-present.

Syria: Prison Attack is Latest Sign of ISIS Resurgence

THE NEW YORK TIMES: ISIS has mounted a series of sophisticated attacks recently in both Syria and Iraq, suggesting the group is re-emerging as a serious threat three years after it was driven out.

Mourners gathered in shrine in the city of Najaf last week to pay respects to an Iraqi soldier killed in an Islamic State attack. | Ali Najafi/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
BAGHDAD — An audacious attack on a Syrian prison that houses thousands of Islamic State detainees. A series of strikes against military forces in neighboring Iraq. The dissemination of a video showing the beheading of a kidnapped Iraqi police officer.

The evidence of a resurgence of Islamic State in Syria and Iraq is mounting by the day, three years after the militants lost their last territorial foothold in the so-called caliphate, which once stretched across vast parts of the two countries. The fact that ISIS was able to mount multiple, coordinated and sophisticated attacks is evidence that what had been believed to be disparate sleeper cells are re-emerging as a more serious threat.

“It’s a wake-up call for regional players, for national players that ISIS is not over, that the fight is not over,” said Kawa Hassan, Middle East and North Africa director at the Stimson Center, a Washington research institute. “It shows the resilience of ISIS to strike back at the time and place of their choosing.” » | Jane Arraf | Tuesday, January 25, 2022

Saddam Hussein's Doctor Reveals the Man Behind the Tyrant

Jun 14, 2018 • Under the Skin of Saddam (2004): Ala Bashir was Saddam's personal doctor for 22 years. despised by the Ba'ath party hierarchy, he nonetheless managed to survive the fall of the regime by getting close to Saddam when it mattered.

A Love Story: James St. James on the Film Out of Iraq w/ Nayyef Hrebid and Btoo Allami

More about this love story here

World of Wonder: More info »

World of Wonder »

Out of Iraq – Documentary Shows Gay Love and Risk in Iraq

Jun 8, 2016 • OUT OF IRAQ is a documentary about two enlisted men in Iraq – one an Iraqi soldier, the other a U.S. translator – who fall in love before being forced to flee when one becomes the target for an honor killing. Nayyef and Btoo, the subjects of the new documentary, and director Chris McKim discuss the creation of the film, homosexuality in Iraq and the humanitarian efforts of Michael Failla in this episode of BYOD hosted by Ondi Timoner.

Exclusive: 'The Middle East Does Not Need Another War' Says Iraqi President

The president of Iraq, Barham Salih, tells Sky News about his fears over heightening tensions between America and Iran.

Could Iraq Be Pulled into a Conflict between the United States and Iran? | Inside Story

The United States is raising the stakes against what it calls threats from Iran. President Donald Trump is sending an extra 1,500 troops to the Middle East. He's also bypassing Congress to sell billions of dollars' of weapons to Iran's rivals, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Iran's neighbour, Iraq, is vowing support and offering to mediate. At the same time, Iraq is wary of straining relations with the Americans.

How should leaders in Baghdad handle this balancing act?

Presenter: Hashem Ahelbarra | Guests: Andreas Kreig - Assistant Professor, Defence Studies Department, King's College London; Sami Nader - Director, The Levant Institute for Strategic Affairs; Robert Gutsche - Associate Professor, Lancaster University

US Embassy in Iraq Orders Non-emergency Staff to Leave | Al Jazeera English

The US State Department has ordered all non-emergency government employees to leave Iraq immediately. This comes amid rising tensions in the region. Last week the US deployed warships to the Gulf in a move it said was a response to indications of threats from Iran. Al Jazeera's Rob Matheson joins us live from Baghdad.