Middle East crisis live: US launches new round of airstrikes to ‘swiftly punish’ Iran after American troops killed
Fresh attack comes after Iran’s supreme leader warned Washington would pay for ‘seeking to escalate’ the conflict
The Guardian’s defence and security editor, Dan Sabbagh, has written an interesting analysis piece about why Iran has more than enough capability to inflict damage despite the US being the superior military power. Here is an extract from his story, which was published last Friday:
A frustrated US is exploring how to bend Iran to its will, after Trump described the country’s leaders as “scum” and “sick people” at this month’s Nato summit, though it is not obvious how that can be done without a substantial ground campaign, for which the US is not prepared for, nor has the appetite for.
Military escalation was considered at a White House Situation Room meeting on Tuesday, followed by leaks that the options considered included bombing another deep-lying nuclear site at Pickaxe Mountain – which would have no effect on the now critical Hormuz dynamic – or a seizure of the strategic Kharg Island, through which 90% of Iran’s oil exports would flow if there was no US blockade.
To read the full story from the source: The Guardian – World
