As the US-Iran war escalates, more countries in the Middle East have—officially or unofficially—entered the fray over the past week. Saudi Arabia said July 30 that 14 countries (including Egypt, Türkiye and Bahrain) have so far joined an alliance it set up to protect shipping and energy supplies through the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. The alliance, which the kingdom calls defensive, formed in reaction to the blockade by Yemen's Houthi rebels against Saudi ships in the strait. Among those that has signed on is the internationally recognized (but largely exiled) government of Yemen, which would presumably be onside with reported plans by Saudi Arabia to launch a ground offensive against the Houthis.

Meanwhile, the US and Saudi Arabia have launched joint strikes against Iran-backed militias in Iraq (the Popular Mobilization Forces); Iran (or the Houthis) have hit Egypt, Kuwait and Jordan, where three US soldiers were killed in an attack on a military base; and the US also carried out what it called a "heavy wave" of attacks on Iran, with Tehran saying three civilians—a couple and their child—were killed on Qeshm island.

The US Senate failed to pass a War Powers Resolution (after similarly failing to pass one in March), while the Iran regime apparently sees it as in its political interest to extend the conflict on at least a minimal basis. Nonetheless, it appears to be quickly spiralling out of control.

From The New Humanitarian, July 31. Lightly edited.