New reporting from Axios: “President Trump and his senior aides have been considering waging limited strikes in the Strait of Hormuz to prevent Iran from reconstituting its radar and missile capabilities to attack ships, according to three U.S. officials.”
This suggests that once again when US ‘bad options’ tighten related to Iran and the Hormuz crisis, there is still this (bad) idea among decision-makers that the Pentagon can just ‘bomb its way out’ of a crisis that’s of Washington’s own making. Such an assumption has already been tried and tested several times before, amid what is now six months into the war.
“The plan, which was developed over the past week by U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) and supported by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, had not been approved by Trump ahead of this weekend’s exchange of fire with Iran,” Axios continues. “But he could greenlight it after the new escalation.”
And still this reported new potential escalation is being presented by Axios as if it’s somehow the US fully in the driver’s seat, when in reality this continues to be a “bombing campaign in search of a strategy”. More from Axios:
- One U.S. official said the idea behind the plan is to reduce the risk of Iranian attacks on oil tankers, U.S. Navy ships and Air Force aircraft — to “mow the lawn,” as this person put it.
- A White House said: “The President retains all options at his disposal. The Iranians want to make a deal, but they are always a day late and a dollar short.”
This comes as some top generals have taken the ultra-rare action of leaking their views of this to the press. “Several U.S. military leaders have advised Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth that prolonging large-scale operations against Iran is unsustainable and risks weakening their ability to confront threats elsewhere, including the U.S. homeland, according to people familiar with a recent assessment prepared for the Pentagon chief,” wrote the Washington Post on Sunday.
More latest from Trump (via Newsquawk):
US President Trump says Iran strikes will be limited; Strait of Hormuz is in extremely good shape; A lot of oil coming out of Hormuz; Ships came through Hormuz last night with Navy assist.
The Iranians meanwhile appear to be ready for the possibility of renewed dialogue, but they also certainly don’t appear to be “begging” – as Trump has maintained. “The US must return to its commitments and abide by the terms of the memorandum; only then can we exit this situation,” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Telegram Monday.
Hellbound and Down 