Iran Struck U.S. Military Sites Directly, Escalating From Proxy War to State-to-State Conflict

Iran directly targeted U.S. military installations in late July 2026, a shift from its habitual use of proxy militias. The U.S. and Saudi Arabia responded with joint airstrikes on Iran-backed militias in eastern Iraq on July 29. Iraqi armed groups condemned the operation as a "dangerous escalation," raising fears of retaliatory cycles between state actors.