Advertisement

Politics
Politics Saudi Arabia
Wednesday, July 22, 2026
US Strikes Iran for 11th Night as Costs Reach $37.5B

Lead:

Iran has executed successive waves of military strikes against Gulf Cooperation Council members over the past eleven nights, with Bahrain, Jordan, and Kuwait reporting interceptions of aerial attacks. Simultaneously, Arab and international governments have issued formal condemnations of statements attributed to Houthi militia leadership regarding threats to Saudi Arabian security and maritime freedom. The dual crisis—active military operations coupled with diplomatic isolation of the Houthis—has prompted cabinet-level consultations across the region and emergency policy coordination among allied states.

Details:

Multiple Gulf state defense forces reported intercepting Iranian-launched attacks. According to regional news sources, Bahrain's General Command of Defence Force announced the destruction of several Iranian aerial assaults, characterizing them as blatant violations of international law and evidence of Tehran's systematic hostile pattern. Jordan's General Command of Armed Forces reported detecting six incoming missiles from Iranian territory, of which four were intercepted before reaching Jordanian airspace. Kuwait's State General Staff indicated its air defenses were actively intercepting attacks by unmanned Iranian aircraft. The Kuwaiti Ministry of Electricity, Water, and Renewable Energy confirmed that Iranian strikes had forced multiple power generation units offline.

The United States Central Command announced the continuation of military strikes against Iranian targets for the eleventh consecutive night. U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseeth estimated the cost of military operations against Iran at 37.5 billion dollars, an increase from a previous assessment of approximately 29 billion dollars. Hegseeth warned Iran of a military response ten times more severe should attacks continue against commercial vessels and regional states. The American military also reported having rerouted eight commercial ships and disabled one vessel since resuming operations against Iran.

Arab and international condemnations of Houthi statements have grown increasingly formal. Egypt, Syria, Sudan, the United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain each issued official denunciations. The Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council, Jassem Mohammed Al-Bedihi, characterized Houthi allegations against Saudi Arabia as "a desperate attempt to distort facts." The Secretary-General of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, Hussein Ibrahim Taha, and the Secretary-General of the Arab League, Nabil Fahmi, each reaffirmed full solidarity with Saudi Arabia. The Muslim World League also issued formal condemnation of Houthi militia statements.

Saudi Arabia's Council of Ministers, chaired by King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, affirmed the kingdom's support for defensive measures taken by Kuwait, Bahrain, and Jordan against what it termed "criminal Iranian aggression." Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman held a telephone call with Kuwait's Emir Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah to discuss regional developments and reaffirm shared commitment to countering Iranian attacks.

Watch For:

One: Negotiations emerging from a reported ten-day ceasefire proposal championed by Qatar, Egypt, and Pakistan; timing and acceptance by all parties remain uncertain.

Two: Whether U.S. military operations and Iranian responses stabilize or further escalate; Hegseeth's public warning suggests a defined threshold for response intensity.

Three: The degree to which diplomatic isolation of the Houthis translates into pressure on the militia to cease threats and modify behavior toward maritime and regional security.

Saudi Arabia Brief

Advertisement

All Portals 🇱🇧🇦🇪🇪🇬🇸🇦 كل البوابات Search
Briefer Curator