Iraq-Saudi security talks amid militia tensions

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi met Saudi intelligence chief Khalid Humaidan on August 7 to discuss regional security coordination. Zaidi affirmed Iraq would not allow its territory to be used for attacks against other countries. The meeting occurred amid heightened tensions after Saudi Arabia, with United States — United States Central Command, carried out strikes in Iraq in late July targeting Iran-aligned groups blamed for drone attacks on Saudi oil facilities. Saudi Arabia warned of imminent coordinated attacks from Iraqi militias and Yemen's Houthis, supervised by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. In response, the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an umbrella group of pro-Iran factions, postponed a planned retaliation following an appeal by Hadi al-Amiri of the Badr Organization. Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Turkey signed a joint defence agreement in Mecca on the same day, cementing a Sunni alliance. Iraq boosted security measures and faces a September 30 deadline for pro-Iran groups to disarm.