Iran launched more retaliatory attacks on Thursday, targeting U.S. assets in Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates. President Donald Trump had warned Iran not to retaliate against recent U.S. strikes. On Tuesday, Trump wrote on Truth Social:
If the failed Nation of Iran retaliates for this very justified attack, they will be hit again at a much harder and higher level, but it will not be the biggest attack of them all, that is waiting in the wings and, when it is over, there will be very little left of the Islamic Republic of Iran!
The new Iranian attacks extend a tit-for-tat cycle that began Sunday night, when the U.S. struck targets on Iran’s Larak Island, ending a month-long pause in direct hostilities. Tehran said it was responding to “America’s crimes against the Iranian people.”
U.S. forces were responsible for a deadly bombing of a wedding party in southern Iran on Tuesday, according to an analysis by the New York Times. A six-year-old boy and at least four others were reported killed.
Wednesday brought mixed reporting about how much longer the Trump administration expects the Iran War to last. The Wall Street Journal reported that Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth is “quietly extending troop deployments in a sign that the conflict could drag well into next year.” But the Journal also said that Trump, in conversations with senior aides, favors declaring the war over.
Reuters reported that senior aides are urging Trump to keep the war contained heading into the midterm elections, but that the White House “will consider ramping up military action after the November 3 vote.” The unpopular conflict has created headwinds for Republicans as they seek to defend slim majorities in Congress. Trump on Wednesday dismissed the idea that the midterms are influencing his military decisions.
Oil prices have spiked amid the resumption of hostilities, with Brent crude trading around $97 a barrel on Thursday. In America, average gas prices were $4.14 per gallon, according to AAA. That’s up from $2.98 on the eve of the war.
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