When his country’s defense minister and namesake Israel Katz said Saturday that strikes against Iran would “significantly increase” in the coming weeks, it seemed to contradict what Donald Trump had said just hours earlier.
The US President had said that he was considering ending military operations. But this was typical Trump – unexpected, even incongruous.
Even the US military itself continues to take actions that seem to contradict Commander-in-Chief Trump, as the US administration has announced that it is sending its troops. More warships and navies Or soldiers in the Middle East (West Asia). Trump’s “winding down” comments came shortly after he also ruled out a ceasefire and left the door open for the deployment of ground troops.
“As we think, we are getting very close to meeting our objectives winding down Our great military efforts in the Middle East,” he said later in a social media post on Friday, US time.
In his own words he later told reporters that he “may, or may not, have a plan” about where the conflict goes from here.
There were mixed messages from the US under Trump after the US stock market fell after another rise in oil prices.
So much so, that the Trump administration even announced that it would lift the ban. Iranian oil loaded on ships, A move aimed at tackling rising prices. Iran has said there is nothing on its ships at sea anyway.
Social media was abuzz over how Trump’s war led to sanctions being lifted against the very country he attacked.
The irony matches how Trump has oscillated between claims of fear and calls for help throughout the three weeks of war, which began when the US and Israel bombed Tehran on February 28 and killed Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
the war continues
Iran has since escalated the conflict to Gulf countries where US bases are located. Thus, the war shows no signs of abating.
Iran said this on Saturday Natanz Nuclear Facility It was hit in an airstrike on Saturday but there has been no radiation leakage. Israel said Iran continued to fire missiles at it throughout the day, while Saudi Arabia said it downed 20 drones in just a few hours in the country’s eastern region, which is home to major oil installations.
Iran has also hit an elite class F-35 US military jets tried to attack the US-UK joint base on Diego Garcia island in the Indian Ocean, about 4,000 km away. This raised some eyebrows regarding Iran’s stated positionAnd America claims that Tehran has missiles that can reach a maximum distance of 2,000 kilometers.
Trump’s departure from office was being linked to these incidents. But Trump’s commitment to more troops, and even being open to a ground invasion of Iran, muddied the message a bit more.
political mood within America
Inside the US, the Republican Party has so far supported Trump, despite the high-profile resignation of Joe Kent, Trump’s main man on counter-terrorism, less than a week ago.
Under the War Powers Act, the President can conduct military operations for up to 60 days without the approval of the US Congress. So far, Republicans have easily rejected several proposals from Democrats designed to halt the military campaign.
“The real question is: What are we really trying to accomplish?” Republican Senator Thom Tillis told news agency AP. “I generally support anything that takes out the mullahs,” he said, referring to Islamic fundamentalists.
“But at the end of the day, there has to be some kind of strategic articulation of the strategy, what our objectives are,” he said, underscoring the confusion so far over many of Trump’s stances. Trump’s Truth Social also reflects this fluctuation, as Hindustan Times analyzed earlier this week.
In terms of objectives, Trump and his team have talked about regime change, oil security, “freedom for women”, avoiding nuclear war, and general instability as reasons for attacking Iran. Israeli leaders have also talked about this from a religious perspective. Right now, there is much at stake in the Strait of Hormuz, which takes this conflict beyond just the immediate political, or religious, objectives of the US and Israel.
Support for the war within the United States remains weak. An NBC News poll last week found that 54% of voters disapprove of Trump’s handling of the conflict.
The ability of Iran to attack the Diego Garcia base, or even a failed attempt, adds a new dimension to the conflict.
Iran has already compared the ongoing conflict “Another Vietnam” For the US, it refers to the war of the 1960s in which the US lost more than 50,000 soldiers.
Why does Diego Garcia matter?
Diego Garcia Air Base is home to approximately 2,500 US personnel and has supported US military operations from Vietnam to Iraq, Afghanistan and attacks on Yemen’s Houthi rebels. It is part of the Chagos Islands, a remote archipelago in the middle of the Indian Ocean off the tip of India. These islands have been under British control since 1814.
They are at the center of Britain’s dispute with Trump over Britain’s plan to hand sovereignty of the Chagos archipelago to Mauritius and then lease back only the Diego Garcia base. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer says this will protect the future of the base, which is currently vulnerable to a legal challenge. The Trump administration initially welcomed the agreement, but in January Trump called it a “big, stupid move.”
What does Iran say on the war situation?
Meanwhile, Iran informed India That the US and Israel should end hostilities, and international blocs such as the India-led BRICS should play “an independent role”.
He claimed that he had not started the war and had the right to defend himself.
The death toll from the war in Iran exceeds 1,300; More than 1,000 people in Lebanon, which is being attacked by Israel in parallel with the presence of Iran-backed Hezbollah; 15 in Israel and 13 US military members. Millions of people have been displaced in Lebanon and Iran.
Russia confirms Iran ties
As for Iran’s allies, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova called the attack on the Natanz nuclear enrichment facility a “blatant violation of international law.” In a statement posted on the ministry’s website on Saturday, Zakharova said such “irresponsible actions” posed a “real threat of catastrophic disaster throughout the Middle East” and were “clearly aimed at further undermining peace, stability and security in the region”.
As the war has now spread to almost all countries in the Gulf region, sirens continue to sound, including in Bahrain on Saturday.
The blockade of the Strait of Hormuz continues
At the heart of the protracted war from the American perspective is Iran’s occupation of the Strait of Hormuz, which Trump has also claimed the US could open at any time, had refused to ask for NATO help, and is now saying it will open. Opens automatically at some point.
On top of that, the head of US Central said in his latest video update on the war that the US military “remains on track with a plan to eliminate Iran’s ability to project meaningful power outside its borders”.
Admiral Brad Cooper also detailed steps taken to weaken Iran’s control Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway for international commerce Like oil shipment. Earlier in the week, several 5,000-pound bombs were dropped on an underground facility along Iran’s coastline that was used to store anti-ship cruise missiles, mobile missile launchers and other equipment “that pose a dangerous threat to international shipping,” he said in a post on Twitter.
“Iran’s ability to threaten freedom of navigation in and around the Strait of Hormuz has diminished and we will not stop pursuing these goals,” he said in the video.
Meanwhile, countries including the UAE, Bahrain, Britain, Germany, France, Japan, South Korea and Australia have all condemned Iran’s attacks on commercial vessels as well as oil and gas facilities in the region.
Eid prayers in Tehran
Meanwhile, thousands of Iranian worshipers on Saturday gathered at Tehran’s Grand Mosque for Eid al-Fitr prayers marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan. AP footage showed worshipers lining up for prayers at the Imam Khomeini Mosque and its vast courtyard, as Israel and the United States continued massive airstrikes against Iran.
“It’s really a painful feeling,” Masoud Alibenam, 50, said of prayers being offered without Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. “The leader is no longer here, and we are praying in his absence.”
Worshipers also held the funeral for Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps spokesman Gen. Ali Mohammed Naini, who was killed in an Israeli strike on Friday. The last rites of pro-government cultural activist Amir Hussain Bedi were also held after Eid prayers.
