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# Iran War Goes On: Saudi Arabia Attacks, Proxy Warfare, and Escalating Internal Unrest
- URL: https://libertystrikes.ie/iran-war-goes-on/
- Published: 2026-09-15T13:29:22.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-15T13:29:22.000Z
- Description: An intelligence breakdown of Iran and Houthi strikes on Saudi Arabia, the escalation of domestic resistance inside Iran, and the strategic viability of a ceasefire or regional deal.
- Author: Don Roíste
- Tags: Middle East

## What Has Iran Done to Saudi Arabia?

Iran’s state operations against Saudi Arabia combine direct cross-border intimidation with multi-front asymmetric strike campaigns. Tehran views Saudi Arabia as a primary regional operational node for US and allied power projection.  

```
                           [ IRGC SPECIAL OPERATIONS ]
                                       │
                ┌──────────────────────┴──────────────────────┐
                ▼                                             ▼
     [ Direct Aggression ]                        [ Proxy Operations ]
        • Ballistic Missiles                         • Houthi Red Sea Blockade
        • Critical Cyber Attacks                     • Iraqi Militia Drone Waves
        • Maritime Harassment                        • Pipeline Sabotage

```

### Direct Military and Cyber Aggression

- **Cross-Gulf Missile and Drone Strikes:** Iranian forces have targeted Saudi radar installations, military airfields, and maritime surveillance infrastructure across the Persian Gulf to degrade coalition early-warning capacity.
- **Cyber Warfare:** Iranian state-backed threat actors have targeted Saudi government networks, financial institutions, and energy management systems with destructive wiper malware aimed at causing industrial disruption.
- **Naval Chokepoints:** Iran has deployed naval assets to harass Saudi-flagged commercial vessels operating near the Strait of Hormuz, threatening energy export routes.

![](https://libertystrikes.ie/content/images/2026/09/image-8.png)

channelnewsasia.com

## How Are Houthi Attacks from Yemen Linked to Iranian Strategy?

The Houthis (Ansar Allah) act as Iran's primary southern offensive vector. By arming, training, and equipping Houthi forces with long-range loitering munitions and ballistic missiles, Tehran maintains strategic pressure on Saudi Arabia while preserving operational deniability.  

| **Attack Vector**         | **Operations Executed**                                           | **Strategic Impact on Saudi Arabia**                                                     |
| ------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Energy Infrastructure** | Swarm drone strikes on East-West pipeline & Aramco facilities     | Reduced crude output below 6 million barrels per day; forced pipeline shutdowns.         |
| **Maritime Blockades**    | Red Sea naval blockade against Saudi tankers near Bab al-Mandab   | Forced vessels to use "dark transit" (disabling transponders); elevated insurance costs. |
| **Civil Infrastructure**  | Ballistic missile strikes on southern airports (e.g., Abha)       | Distracted Saudi air defences; strained regional commercial aviation networks.           |
| **Iraqi Proxy Alignment** | Coordinated simultaneous drone waves from southern Iraq and Yemen | Forced Saudi forces to defend multiple air corridors simultaneously.                     |

By forcing Riyadh to commit substantial air defence resources to protect domestic energy assets, Iran effectively prevents Saudi Arabia from extending open logistical, basing, or airspace support to foreign coalition operations.  

## Is Domestic Unrest Increasing Inside Iran?

**Yes. Field intelligence confirms that domestic unrest across Iran is expanding in scale, intensity, and tactical sophistication.**  
Internal friction has evolved beyond peaceful civil demonstration into violent resistance against state infrastructure and regime enforcement bodies.

![](https://libertystrikes.ie/content/images/2026/09/image-7.png)

Jahan-e Sanat, Iranian newspaper shows a portrait of Mahsa “Jina” Amini over a map of Iran.

> **Key Intelligence Indicator:** The convergence of severe economic collapse, sustained military strikes on regime command targets, and leadership losses has fractured state control in peripheral provinces and major urban centres alike.  

```
                         ESCALATION OF DOMESTIC UNREST
                         
    Phase I: Economic Shock   ──►   Phase II: State Repression   ──►   Phase III: Armed Defiance
    (Rial collapse, inflation)     (Blackouts, live fire)             (Outpost arson, defectors)

```

### Confirmed Patterns of Civilian Resistance

- **Attacks on Security Outposts:** Armed civilian groups and defectors have launched night-time ambushes on Basij paramilitary posts, local police stations, and IRGC intelligence offices.
- **Targeted Arson Campaigns:** Protesters have deliberately set fire to state-run media facilities, government administrative offices, state bank branches, and regime-affiliated religious institutions (mosques used as Basij recruitment centres).
- **Localised Checkpoints:** Disaffected citizens and insurgent cells have established temporary street barricades and inspection points in dissident strongholds across Kurdistan, Sistan-Baluchestan, and major university districts.
- **Resource Strain on Security Forces:** The internal security apparatus is forced to divert elite personnel away from military staging areas to maintain internal containment under unofficial martial law.

![](https://libertystrikes.ie/content/images/2026/09/image-9.png)

The great January C.E.2026 (H.E.12,026) protests of Iran. Source: Wikipedia.

## Why Hasn't the War Ended, and What Deal Is Possible?

### 1\. Factors Preventing Regime Collapse

Despite growing civil resistance and leadership attrition, the conflict has not ended due to key operational asymmetries:  

- **Heavy Weapons Imbalance:** Protesters and local insurgent cells lack heavy armour, artillery, and integrated air defence to counter conventional military formations.
- **Fragmented Opposition Command:** Internal resistance operates without a single unified political or military high command, preventing coordinated nationwide offensives.
- **Regime Coercive Capability:** Core IRGC units remain institutionally committed to survival, relying on communication blackouts and force to maintain territorial control.

### 2\. Likelihood of U.S. Resumption of Operations

The likelihood of the US and coalition partners resuming offensive strikes remains high if key operational red lines are breached:  

- **Strait of Hormuz Closure:** Any attempt by Iran to enforce a total maritime blockade will trigger immediate coalition air and naval intervention.
- **Mass-Casualty Proxy Attacks:** Major Houthi or Iraqi militia strikes resulting in significant foreign military casualties will break ceasefire frameworks.
- **Complete Regime Subjugation Unlikely:** A total ground invasion or territorial occupation of Iran is strategically improbable due to force requirement constraints and economic risks to global energy markets.

### 3\. Diplomatic Deal Viability

A permanent, comprehensive peace agreement is currently improbable due to mutually exclusive red lines:  

```
               CEASEFIRE & DEAL DYNAMICS
               
    COALITION DEMANDS                 IRANIAN DEMANDS
    ─────────────────                 ───────────────
    • End to proxy funding            • Full sanctions removal
    • Maritime transit freedom        • Unfreezing of all assets
    • Caps on missile development     • Regime survival guarantees

```

The most likely outcome is not a permanent peace treaty, but an uneasy, highly volatile equilibrium governed by interim tactical pauses, maritime containment, and ongoing internal resistance.