ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - Saudi Arabia on Tuesday announced that it intercepted numerous drones allegedly launched by pro-Iran militias in Iraq seeking to target oil infrastructure, calling on Baghdad "to take all necessary steps" to prevent further attacks.

Saudi state media, citing ministry spokesperson Major General Turki al-Maliki, reported that "a number of drones" sought to target oil facilities in the country's Eastern Province, which borders southern Iraq and is a hub for Riyadh's petroleum industry.

"Major General al-Maliki explained that these terrorist attempts were launched again from Iraqi territory and carried out by Iranian-backed terrorist militias, emphasizing the Kingdom's inherent right to defend itself and its assets and its right to respond at the appropriate time and place," the state-owned Saudi Press Agency reported.

Similarly, the Saudi foreign ministry expressed its condemnation of the strikes, vowing "to take all necessary measures to respond to the sources of aggression and repel the aggressors" and urging 

the Iraqi government "to take all necessary steps to ensure the prohibition of the use of land based on aggression."

Riyadh had accused pro-Iran militias in Iraq of carrying out drone attacks on the Kingdom the day prior, reaffirming its "legitimate right" to defend its sovereignty. 

The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an umbrella network of pro-Iran militia groups, slammed the accusations, saying they “only strengthen our conviction that hostility towards Iraq and its people is an inherent characteristic of the [Saudi] regime.” 

“We in the Islamic Resistance issue a clear warning to the Saudi regime, declaring that any foolish Saudi action will be met with a harsh response that will leave them biting their fingers in regret,” it said in a statement. 

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi on Monday ordered an investigation into the attacks, coming as his government has set to clamp down on non-state armed groups in the country that have often threatened Baghdad's relations with regional neighbors.

Since assuming office, the businessman-turned-premier has imposed policies seeking to restrict weapons to the hands of the state and set a deadline for armed groups to accede to these demands by the end of September.

So far, three armed factions have agreed to integrate into Iraq's official security apparatus, while others have remained recalcitrant and rejected the process.

Reuters reported in May that both Saudi Arabia and Kuwait had conducted airstrikes targeting Iran-aligned factions within Iraq following strikes launched on Gulf states during the US-Israeli war on Iran, giving rise to the possibility of further kinetic action should Iraq fail to clamp down on militants.

Riyadh has found itself increasingly involved in the regional turmoil catalyzed by US-Iran hostilities, with Yemen's Houthi rebels having recently announced a maritime blockade of Saudi vessels transiting the Red Sea, thus threatening a key oil export route that has allayed the impact of the Strait of Hormuz's closure.

On Tuesday evening, the Iran-backed Houthis announced they had targeted a Saudi-flagged vessel with ballistic missiles after it failed to obey the embargo, causing it to change course and withdraw.

The pro-Iran Iraqi militia Kataib Hezbollah praised the Houthi blockade, which came about after the Houthis accused Saudi Arabia of bombing Sanna International Airport, as an expression of "unwavering will."