Iran-aligned militia groups struck the US Embassy in Baghdad with missiles overnight on Saturday, in what analysts described as a deliberate warning to the broader American military presence across the Middle East. The attack prompted the US Embassy to issue an emergency advisory ordering all American citizens in Iraq to leave immediately, citing threats from missiles, drones, and rockets in Iraqi airspace. The strike on the embassy was the most significant direct hit on US diplomatic infrastructure since the war began on February 28.
The attack underscored the reach of Iran’s network of allied armed groups across the region, which extended well beyond Iran’s own borders into Iraq, Lebanon, Yemen, and elsewhere. By coordinating militia strikes on American targets in Iraq while simultaneously launching ballistic missiles at the UAE, firing rockets at Israel, and maintaining the Hormuz closure, Iran was demonstrating that its ability to project power extended across a vast geographic area. The militia dimension of the conflict added a layer of complexity that conventional US military operations were not well-suited to address.
US warplanes continued striking Kharg Island on Saturday. President Trump said in public remarks the island had been effectively demolished and called on allied nations to send warships to the Strait of Hormuz, naming China, France, Japan, South Korea, and the UK. Iran’s foreign minister called on Arab states to expel US forces. Iranian missiles struck Fujairah in the UAE, suspending oil-loading operations. Iranian commanders warned civilians near UAE ports and US installations to evacuate. Israel conducted dozens of raids inside Iran, killing at least 15 people in Isfahan.
Trump said publicly the terms for a deal with Iran were not yet acceptable and declined to give any timeline for ending the conflict. US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth described Iran’s leadership as “desperate and hiding” and claimed the new supreme leader had been wounded. Iranian officials confirmed the injury but called it minor. The International Crisis Group said the regime remained intact and was executing a deliberate strategy of prolonged conflict. Energy prices were approaching $120 per barrel, with analysts warning of further increases.
The human and economic toll of the war was vast. More than 1,400 Iranians had been killed in sustained bombing. Thirteen Israelis and roughly 20 Gulf residents had died. Lebanon’s crisis continued, with 800 killed and 850,000 displaced from Israeli strikes on Hezbollah. Six US troops died in an aircraft crash in Iraq. With Iranian-aligned militias now directly striking American diplomatic facilities, the conflict was spreading in ways that no purely military response was likely to contain.