U.S. Launches Fresh Strikes on Iran as Analysts Warn Conflict Risks Becoming a ‘Forever War’

• The U.S. launched a fresh round of strikes on Iran early Wednesday morning, hours after President Donald Trump warned military strikes would intensify next week if Tehran does not cooperate in peace talks. U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a post on X that it began launching a wave of strikes at 6 a.m. ET, describing them as “designed to further degrade military capabilities Iranian forces have used to attack commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.”
• CENTCOM said the strikes were completed at 7:30 a.m. ET, with precision munitions launched against Iran’s coastal defence systems and cruise missile storage and launch sites on Greater Tunb Island, located in the Persian Gulf near the Strait of Hormuz. The strikes followed further attacks on Tuesday, while Tehran has launched attacks on multiple Gulf countries.
• In an interview with Fox News, Trump hinted the conflict was more likely to intensify than de-escalate as a fragile ceasefire agreed last month continues to fracture. “We’re going to hit them very hard tonight,” he said. “We’re going to hit them hard tomorrow night. We’re going to hit them really hard the night after.”
• Trump added that U.S. forces would target key Iranian infrastructure next week without a diplomatic breakthrough, warning that “next week comes the power plants” and “next week comes the bridges.” He had threatened to impose a 20% levy on cargo shipped through the Strait of Hormuz earlier in the week before abandoning that demand, saying Gulf states would instead invest in the U.S. as repayment.
• Analysts warned the conflict risks becoming a drawn-out “forever war.” Mike Rosenberg of IESE Business School said “it seems we are no closer to a settlement,” arguing the terms of the Islamabad Memorandum signed by Trump on June 14 were unrealistic and that the most likely outcome is a permanent ceasefire negotiated by Pakistan without nuclear guarantees.

(Source: CNBC)