US War Against Iran Enters a New Phase
The US military has resumed a campaign of airstrikes and naval blockades against Iranian targets in a second phase of conflict. The strategy aims to secure the Strait of Hormuz and exert economic pressure on Iran following renewed hostilities.
Why it matters
Escalating military action in the Strait of Hormuz poses a direct threat to global oil supply chains and regional stability.
By: Julian E. BarnesEric Schmitt and David E. Sanger
The Trump administration has lurched back into a war against Iran that had never really ended.
When the war started more than four months ago, US forces targeted Iranian military bases, missile launchers, ships and naval facilities. Israel, fighting alongside the United States, hit leadership targets, hoping to bring down Iran’s hard-line government.
Their record of success has been mixed, at best. Israel killed the supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, but the leaders who succeeded him were even more hard-line. US forces struck thousands of targets, but did not destroy Iran’s ability to control the Strait of Hormuz, the waterway through which about 20% of the world’s oil typically flows.
For roughly 90 days beginning in April, an on-again-off-again cease-fire prevailed. And then it was over.
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