Trump Warns Iran Will "Pay Many Times Over" for US Troop Deaths
Escalating rhetoric followed a wave of American strikes launched after several US service members were killed in recent Iranian attacks
Synopsis
President Donald Trump has threatened Iran with "severe consequences" for the recent attacks on American troops because Washington is stepping up a bombing campaign against Tehran's targets. The alert follows the breakdown of a fragile truce and reports of U.S. bombing raids which occurred for an 11th night in a row, as the Iraq war rages on and has already cost tens of billions of dollars.
AdvertisementThe Warning and its Triggers
The US is likely to strike a fortified underground facility on Pickaxe Mountain, which is believed to be linked to Iran's nuclear programme, in the near future following a series of American casualties, according to Trump. The escalation came after three US soldiers were killed in an Iranian attack in Jordan and another was killed when he was blown up in Iraq to clear up unexploded ordnance, reporting said.
For Tehran, any attack on its nuclear facilities would be considered an extension of the war: Iran says any attack on nuclear sites would be "an extension of the war in the region.
AdvertisementA Ceasefire That Didn't Hold
The new strikes are a breakdown in a previous strike truce. The ceasefire between the US and Iran has de facto ended and US Central Command reported that they have conducted an 11th consecutive night of strikes against Iran.
The war has spread far beyond the two main opponents of the conflict: Kuwait, Bahrain and Jordan said they were targeted by aerial strikes that encompassed their respective territories.
The Toll So Far
The amount of casualties and costs highlight the magnitude of the confrontation. The US military estimated it has consumed an estimated $5.6 billion in munitions in the first two days of the war and Trump has said that the war is being won, though seven American military personnel have already been killed in the fighting.
Congress has been individually informed the conflict has cost $37.5 billion and the Pentagon is asking for $67 billion more.
AdvertisementWidening Maritime Fallout
There has been a land war spillover effect for commercial shipping. Earlier, war estimates for America's taxpayers had been pegged at over $890 million a day as a result of known military casualties from surprise air and naval attacks, ground forces, weapons systems and even missile interceptions.
The ensuing uncertainty in the Strait of Hormuz has already caused Indian state refiners to stop Iranian crude imports, highlighting the impact of the conflict's economic fallout goes far beyond the battlefront.
Why It Matters
Trump's warning marks another intensification of American policy at a time when internal political pressures are growing – both in the U.S. Senate, which is growing more skeptical of the idea of unlimited war funding, and among the midterm electorate, who are tired of the price tag.
The assault on Iran's nuclear program could escalate into a broader war for the region, and the consequences of any such war would spread to the Gulf states, energy markets and shipping routes.
