Fears of All Out War Grow as US-Iran Strikes Continue to Intensify
Center Left
Concerns of a return to an all-out war are growing as the United States and Iran trade a new round of attacks in a second day of strikes. It comes as President Donald Trump says he would "bomb the s---- out of them" unless Iran signs a deal. NBC’s Richard Engel reports for TODAY.
President Donald Trump proclaimed on Truth Social on Thursday morning that not only would the United States engage in new offensives against Iran, they are gearing up for an invasion of the country and a seizure of its oil industry."The United States will be hitting Iran (Whose Navy, Air Force, Radar, Anti Aircraft, and all other forms of Defense, together with most its offensive capability, are GONE!), VERY HARD TONIGHT," wrote Trump. Furthermore, he added, "At some point in the not too distant future, we will be taking Kharg Island, and other oil infrastructure points, and assume total control of their Oil and Gas Markets, much like we have with Venezuela, which is working out brilliantly for both Venezuela and the United States of America."As of now, Trump's claims about the takeover of Venezuelan oil "working out brilliantly" are unverifiable, because there has been next to no transparency about how that money is being spent.Kharg Island is a major hub for Iran's oil infrastructure, and U.S. forces have attacked it in the past — though experts are highly skeptical that a full invasion and seizure of the island would be defensible.This comes shortly after Trump boasted that he had secretly secured the passage of 100 million barrels of oil through the still-blockaded Strait of Hormuz, a claim analysts say is impossible.
Iran and the United States have riddled their fragile ceasefire with missiles in the 14th week of the war.President Donald Trump confirmed on Tuesday that the U.S. Army AH-64 Apache helicopter downed while patrolling the Strait of Hormuz on Monday had been shot down by Iranian forces. While the uninjured pilots were rescued, the president stressed that "the United States must, of necessity, respond to this attack."'US forces remain vigilant, lethal, and ready.'Hours later, U.S. Central Command announced that it had begun launching "self-defense strikes," which it characterized as a "proportional response to unjustified Iranian aggression."Early Wednesday, Trump noted on Truth Social that "they’ve taken too long to negotiate a deal that would have been great for them, now they will have to pay the price!!!"The president clarified later in the day that more American strikes were forthcoming."We hit them hard yesterday. We're going to hit them again hard today, in case you miss it, in case you don’t turn on your television set, and we’ll see what happens with the deal," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.On Wednesday evening, CENTCOM launched another series of "self-defense" strikes, stating afterward that it had targeted "Iranian military surveillance capabilities, communication systems, and air defense sites across Iran."RELATED: US Apache helicopter crashes near Strait of Hormuz on 100th day of Iran war; Trump says end in sight Ford Williams/U.S. Navy/Getty ImagesIranian media claimed, however, that among the structures damaged in the American strikes was a pair of water tanks in the south of the country with a combined capacity of 2.5 million liters — tanks said to have supplied water to tens of thousands of civilians. When asked by the New York Times about reports of damage to water facilities, CENTCOM declined to comment."U.S. Marine Corps, Air Force, and Navy assets fired precision munitions on Iranian targets that posed a threat to U.S. forces and international commercial ships transiting regional waters," CENTCOM said in a statement. "The strikes are in response to Iran's unwarranted and continued aggression. U.S. forces remain vigilant, lethal, and ready."According to Trey Yingst, an Israel-based Fox News reporter, Trump said that the U.S. fired at least 49 Tomahawk missiles into Iran and executed bombings via fighter jets, hitting targets as close as 40 miles outside Tehran. Trump also reportedly said that if the Iranians don't sign the peace agreement, "we'll bomb the s**t out of them."Iranian state media reported on Thursday that in retaliation for the American strikes, "18 important targets belonging to the U.S. military in the region were successfully hit during two operational waves following the recent aggression against Iranian territorial integrity."The Iranians maintain that their attacks constitute self-defense "as recognized under Article 51 of the Charter of the United Nations."According to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the targets were located "at the Al-Salem and Ahmad al-Jaber air bases, as well as the Sheikh Isa air base."Citing an unnamed military official, Jordanian state media reported that 20 missiles had been intercepted and neutralized by the country's air defense systems, adding there had been no human casualties or material damage.Iranian drones and "hostile aerial targets" were reportedly intercepted over Bahrain and Kuwait.While Iranian media also claimed that the Strait of Hormuz had been completely closed in response to the American strikes, CENTCOM stated on Wednesday evening that "commercial ships are continuing to transit in and out of the Strait of Hormuz."Trump emphasized on Wednesday that "the UNITED STATES of AMERICA CONTROLS the Strait of Hormuz — NOT Iran."Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
President Trump said the U.S. will hit Iran with new strikes Thursday and threatened to seize Kharg Island, Iran's main oil export hub. Why it matters: This will be the third consecutive night the U.S. military strikes Iran. U.S. officials say the goal is to push Iran to show more flexibility in the negotiations over its nuclear program. What he is saying: "The United States will be hitting Iran VERY HARD TONIGHT," Trump wrote on his Truth Social account. He added that "at some point in the not too distant future" the U.S. will take over Kharg Island, and other oil facilities in the country "and assume total control of their Oil and Gas Markets" like it did it Venezuela. Screenshot / Truth Social
President Donald Trump said the US would strike Iran again Thursday and threatened to take control of the country’s energy infrastructure including the key oil export hub of Kharg Island “at some point.”
With some matches being held in nearby Miami, a Cuban response to US military action could mar the tournamentAs Cuba crumbles under a nearly five-month-long US oil blockade, many on the island hope that the World Cup might save the island from US attack – or at least offer a respite until the competition ends on 19 July.“The beginning of the World Cup will make it more difficult for the United States to carry out a military action in Cuba,” said Carlos Alzugaray, Cuba’s former ambassador to the EU. “Cuba is very close to the US, and can hit many targets inside the US, especially in south Florida, with drones or other weapons.” Continue reading...
The U.S. launched air strikes on Iran for a second consecutive day. And, the World Cup kicks off today in Mexico City, where tensions threaten to disrupt events.
Chinese leader Xi Jinping is slated to come to the United States in September to meet with President Donald Trump at the White House. Trump extended the invitation after meeting with Xi in Beijing: apparently, both leaders believe the previous meeting was successful enough to merit continued discussion. While media attention is often high during […]
President Donald Trump is spiraling over Iran’s latest military strikes, which undermine his claims that their military has been obliterated. Hours after the United States and Iran exchanged their latest series of military strikes Tuesday night, Trump insisted yet again that Iran’s military was all but destroyed. “Iran’s Military is a complete and total mess. Much of it, like their Navy and Air Force, doesn’t even exist anymore—They have been completely defeated. Iran is all talk and no action,” Trump wrote on Truth Social Wednesday morning. “The Bully of the Middle East is DEAD!!! They’ve taken too long to negotiate a deal that would have been great for them, now they will have to pay the price!!!” It’s not evident that Iran’s military has been defeated. U.S. officials said Iran downed a U.S. Army Apache helicopter Monday using a drone. It is not clear if the drone attack was deliberate, as Iran has not yet claimed responsibility for the strike. Tehran said it responded to U.S. retaliatory strikes with 21 attacks against American military targets in the Middle East. Trump has been insisting for weeks that Iran’s military capabilities have been obliterated—despite reporting suggesting Iran has been rebuilding its arsenal. Now even Fox News is starting to doubt the president’s word about Iran’s military capability.Trump’s warning that Iran would “pay the price” caused the price of oil to rise 2 percent, after the strikes had already caused stock futures to slide sharply. In a subsequent post, Trump touted the effectiveness of the U.S. military blockade and insisted that energy was flowing through the Strait of Hormuz. “The Fake News Media refuses to report how EFFECTIVE the U.S. Naval BLOCKADE is, the most successful Blockade in the history of Naval Warfare. NOTHING GETS THROUGH unless we want it to. IT IS A STEEL WALL! Iran is doing ZERO business, not paying their military, or any of their bills, and quickly becoming a FAILED NATION! Lots of oil is getting out.” Trump wrote. But it seems that the president’s lies about the war may be finally catching up to him.
