US Attacks on Iran Continue: Trump Considers Expanding Military Operation

Expansion of Operations Under Discussion

As the Wall Street Journal reported, citing US officials, Trump is leaning toward expanding operations against Iran. The options reportedly include intensifying airstrikes, deploying ground troops to occupy Iranian islands near the Strait of Hormuz, and bombing the atomic facility known as "Pickaxe Mountain" in the Kuh-e Kolang mountain south of the Natanz nuclear facility in central Iran. Trump had recently threatened an attack on the complex.

In parallel, the US is deploying additional fighter jets and tanker aircraft to the Middle East. According to the Wall Street Journal, F-35 fighter jets are being dispatched from the US-used RAF Lakenheath base in Great Britain. Tanker aircraft are also reportedly en route to the region. In addition, the US is now deploying F-16 fighter jets from the Spangdahlem US air base in the Eifel region to the Middle East. Tanker aircraft make it possible to keep fighter jets in the air for longer periods and over greater distances. According to the report, the additional jets could be used both to protect American bases and for larger-scale attacks on Iran.

Military Buildup and First US Casualties

The New York Times also reported, citing US officials, that the decision to relocate the aircraft had already been made before, according to the US military, two US soldiers were killed by Iranian fire on Friday for the first time in months. A third soldier was initially listed as missing; on Sunday, the US military stated that remains had been found at the attack site and would be identified. On Saturday, according to the US military, another US soldier was killed in northern Iraq during a controlled detonation of unexploded ordnance from a downed Iranian one-way drone. The officially known number of US soldiers fallen in the Iran war thus rises to 17.

Iran responded with retaliatory strikes against countries where US bases are stationed. In Kuwait, the army reported new drone attacks from Iran; the air defense was repelling "enemy drones" from Iran, the country's army announced. Sirens also sounded again in Bahrain, which is also allied with Washington, as the country's interior ministry announced. The US Embassy in Bahrain stated that it had indications of possible Iranian attacks on unspecified locations in the center of the capital Manama and called on US citizens to exercise increased vigilance.

Retaliatory Strikes in the Region

The Iranian Revolutionary Guards reported that two oil tankers had been blown up on the southern route through the strait. They are now disabled. Reuters was initially unable to independently verify the incident. The Guards provided no information on names, flags, crews, or possible casualties. According to Fars, the Guards stated that the two ships had taken the "unsafe route" under US military pressure instead of the shipping lanes designated by Tehran.

According to the Iranian news agency Tasnim, explosions were reported from the city of Tabriz in the north of the country, the port city of Chabahar on the Gulf of Oman, from Konarak in the southeastern province of Sistan-Baluchestan, the port city of Mahshahr in Khuzestan Province, and the port city of Bandar Imam Khomeini on the Persian Gulf. The news agency Fars, which is close to the Revolutionary Guards, also reported detonations in the Sirik area near the Strait of Hormuz and in Bushehr Province.

Parallel to the fighting, a ship in the Strait of Hormuz was hit by an "unknown projectile" approximately 15 kilometers northwest of the Omani city of Qumsar, as the British maritime authority UKMTO reported. A fire broke out on board, the crew was evacuated; the fire has not been extinguished and the ship is currently adrift. The security firm Ambrey registered a distress call from a tanker sailing under the Maltese flag. Iran claims control of shipping traffic in the strait for itself and demands that ships take a route along its coast rather than the route off the coast of Oman.

Fighting at the Strait of Hormuz

The Iranian Revolutionary Guards declared: As long as US aggression in the region continues, the strait would be safe neither for the transport of petrochemical products nor for "a single drop of oil and gas." The US military must prepare for a "punitive action." Trump countered: "Wir kontrollieren die Meerenge; sie kontrollieren gar nichts. Mal sehen, was passiert." Trump also said after his return from the World Cup final that the attacks had been carried out "in honor" of the "probably three great patriots" who were on the mission, "so that Iran cannot get nuclear weapons." With regard to the military balance of power, he claimed: "Militärisch haben sie fast alles verloren."

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that the US would "continue to do what is necessary to protect global shipping" and called on other states to participate "with equipment or financial resources." At the same time, Rubio affirmed: "Wir sind stets offen für Diplomatie." They would "keep trying as well. Should this door open, we would welcome that." On Saturday, Iran had declared void the framework agreement negotiated with Washington in June, which was to serve as the basis for a peace settlement within 60 days. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ismail Baghai confirmed in Tehran, according to the state agency IRNA, that Iran had received proposals for a resumption of negotiations through intermediaries.

The Washington Post quoted an unnamed US official with the warning: "Wir haben nicht genug, um die Einsätze sicher aufrechtzuerhalten, und ich glaube nicht, dass sich das Weiße Haus dessen bewusst ist." The newspaper also reported on preparations for a possible expansion of the conflict. Meanwhile, oil prices rose again and exceeded the $90 mark for the first time since the beginning of June.