#escalation
3 entries with this tag
The Iran Ceasefire Trump Signed and Paraded as a Historic Triumph Collapsed Within Weeks Into Nine Straight Nights of U.S. Airstrikes — Iran Firing Missiles at American Bases in Kuwait and Bahrain, Its New Supreme Leader Calling Trump's Signature "Worthless," and the U.S. Death Toll From a War That Never Had a Reason Still Climbing
The ceasefire and memorandum of understanding Trump signed with Iran last month — and touted as a signature achievement — has collapsed. After an Iranian drone struck a ship in the Strait of Hormuz in early July, Trump declared the ceasefire "over," and the United States launched what became nine consecutive nights of airstrikes across Iran, hitting military command centers, air defenses, coastal surveillance, missile and drone sites, communications networks, and bridges. Iranian health officials reported at least 46 killed and more than 400 wounded since the fighting resumed. Iran retaliated by firing missiles and drones at U.S. bases in the Gulf — including the Ali Al Salem base in Kuwait, where it said it hit an ammunition depot and a Patriot radar — and at facilities in Bahrain and Jordan, injuring Kuwaiti military personnel. Iran announced it was suspending its commitments under the agreement, and its new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei — who succeeded his father Ali Khamenei after the elder was killed in the war's opening U.S.-Israeli strikes — derided Trump's signature on the deal as "worthless" and warned of "unforgettable lessons." Since the war began in late February, at least 16 U.S. service members have been killed and more than 430 wounded. Pakistan and Qatar are scrambling to restart talks. It is the predictable unraveling of a war that, as documented here, was launched without a defensible cause — intelligence had found no imminent Iranian threat — and a "peace" that was announced for the cameras before it was ever secured on the ground.
"If We Need to Negotiate with Bombs, We'll Negotiate with Bombs": Hegseth Pledges Strikes on Key Facilities as U.S. Hits Iran for Second Straight Night
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, leaving CENTCOM headquarters in Tampa, told reporters: "If we need to negotiate with bombs, we'll negotiate with bombs. And we're very good at it." The U.S. launched strikes on Iran for a second consecutive night — 49 Tomahawk missiles hitting targets as close as 40 miles from Tehran. The strikes destroyed Iran's water reservoirs in Hormozgan Province, leaving 20,000 people without drinking water in 50°C heat. Weapons experts identified fragments as U.S. GBU-39 munitions. Iran retaliated with strikes on U.S. bases in Kuwait, Jordan, and Bahrain. Trump from the Situation Room — with Vance, Kushner, and Witkoff — told Fox News: "If Iran doesn't agree to a deal, we'll bomb the shit out of them tomorrow night." He threatened to target bridges and power plants. CPI hit 4.2% — a three-year high driven by war-fueled energy costs. Brent crude: $94/barrel. The April 8 ceasefire is functionally dead. The war Trump said would last four to five weeks is now at fifteen.
Pentagon Preparing Weeks of Ground Operations in Iran — Week 5 of a War Trump Is "Bored" With
The Washington Post reported the Pentagon is preparing for weeks of ground operations in Iran using Special Operations and conventional infantry. Marines and 82nd Airborne already deploying. Trump hasn't approved the plans — and is reportedly "bored" with the war.