Iraqi PM Postpones Visit to Riyadh After Deadly US-Saudi Attack

JAKARTA - Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi postponed plans to visit Riyadh after the United States (US) and Saudi Arabia launched a deadly attack on Iranian-backed Iraqi militias.

"Al-Zaidi's visit was postponed in light of today's events," a source in a senior Iraqi government official told CNN on Wednesday, July 29.

The Iraqi Prime Minister was previously scheduled to depart for Saudi Arabia on Thursday for an official visit.

Washington and Riyadh launched attacks on various areas in northern and southern Iraq on Wednesday, July 28, following an attack by Iranian-backed armed groups on US forces and Saudi Arabian oil facilities.

It is reported that 20 people were killed and 32 others were injured as a result of the attack on the "logistics and weapons sites", according to the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), an Iraqi militia affiliated with Iran.

The attacks have also rattled a wider region, upending fragile diplomatic lines and triggering a spike in oil prices.

Former Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani strongly condemned the attack, warning of a clear violation of Iraqi sovereignty, an action that dangerously exceeded the limits of the principle of Islamic brotherhood and a clear violation of international law.