Axios: New US attacks on Iran, escalation could continue for up to a month

During the second night of the renewed offensive against the Islamic Republic, US forces struck 90 Iranian military targets.

Iran’s Health Ministry announced that the death toll from the attacks over the past two days in five provinces of the country has risen to 14, with 78 wounded.

In response, the Revolutionary Guards struck a Patriot missile defense system in Kuwait, an early warning system in Qatar, as well as fuel depots in Bahrain with kamikaze drones. According to their statement, “if the aggression is repeated, our crushing response will also extend to other US bases in the region.”

Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Iran’s chief negotiator with the US, said that America “still has not understood that bullying and breaking promises will not come without a cost.”

According to Axios, which cited a US official, the current phase of escalation between Washington and Tehran could last one or two days, a week, or even a month, depending on whether Iran continues its attacks against commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz.

US officials say the White House believes there is still room for further escalation, given that in recent weeks hundreds of tanker ships have been able to leave the Gulf through the Strait of Hormuz.

Although less than 24 hours earlier he had called the talks “a waste of time,” Donald Trump said that Iran wants “to reach an agreement,” but added that “I don’t know if they deserve it.” Despite the harsh rhetoric from both sides, negotiations appeared to still be ongoing.