The Iran War is Expanding | Washington Examiner/ACLED

The Washington Examiner put out an article outlining what are now the 15 countries which have been touched by the Iran War, beyond the US and Iran. The piece follows general reporting from this week that strikes on Wednesday through Thursday morning (July 28 and 29) by Saudi and American forces hit Iran-backed militants in Iraq. It also follows the response by US forces to an Iranian counterattack against an American base in Jordan earlier in the week. The Houthis, who have been largely dormant in this conflict, appear to have begun targeting Saudi shipping and infrastructure as well. At this point we can say definitively that the ceasefire is dead and the war is entering a new, expanded phase.

Here’s a rundown of the entangled parties. 

Israel — Leading combatant; hard to describe as entangled (but we’ll go with the Examiner for the sake of the excercise). Has absorbed the bulk of Iranian missile strikes while conducting joint operations with the US, including the strike that killed Khamenei. 

Jordan — Neutral but hosts a US base struck by Iran, killing three American service members.

Saudi Arabia — Hit by drone strikes on infrastructure and its US embassy; has quietly struck Iranian targets in response. Reports of an oil tanker and other infrastructure hit by Houthi-launched drones.

Kuwait — Hosts over 13,000 US troops; suffered fatal strikes and a friendly-fire incident; joined Bahrain in retaliatory strikes on Iran.

Bahrain — Home to the US Fifth Fleet; economy strained by Strait of Hormuz disruptions; conducted joint strikes with Kuwait.

Oman — Controls one side of the Strait of Hormuz; struck despite acting as a US-Iran mediator.

UAE — Intercepted hundreds of Iranian projectiles; has conducted covert joint strikes with the US and Israel.

Qatar — Positioned as neutral mediator; hosts Al Udeid Air Base, repeatedly targeted; energy sector disrupted.

Turkey — NATO member; avoided direct involvement but has intercepted missiles entering its airspace.

Azerbaijan — Struck by Iranian drones despite limited direct involvement; foiled alleged Iranian plots on its soil.

Syria — Mostly avoided the conflict; limited strikes near a US base, no casualties.

Iraq — Iran-backed militias have repeatedly targeted US forces; one American death from drone-related ordnance.

Cyprus — Home to a British base struck early in the war; distant from Iran but drawn in via UK military presence.

Lebanon — Not directly struck, though missile fragments have landed nearby; Hezbollah remains a central and directly connected flashpoint.

Egypt — the newest addition — Previously insulated by geography; this week an Iranian drone struck a US-owned storage tanker at an Egyptian port, marking one of Iran’s longest-range attacks of the war.

The trend

Early involvement centered on countries hosting US military assets. Egypt’s addition reflects how exposure now extends to nations connected only by shipping and energy infrastructure. Neutrality offers less protection now than February. 

To visualize the geographic spread of the war, check out ACLED’s (almost) live tracker of Iran war strikes here. Egypt, unfortunately, is too far outside the map’s borders. But that makes a point in itself. They also have a Middle East July Overview page, with another map of overall Middle East events, here.  

Here’s the original Washington Examiner article: “All the countries drawn into Iran conflict. Here’s what they have at stake in the war.”