Middle East Crisis

The Situation in Iran
Iran: We Decide When the War is Over – Not the US

Iran's Revolutionary Guard, IRGC, is hitting back at Donald Trump's statement that the war is "largely over". In a statement, the IRGC says that the American forces will not end the war at all, writes AFP.

Instead, the future of the entire region lies in their hands, they claim.

"We are the ones who will decide the end of this war."

At a press conference on Monday, the American president threatened to hit Iran even harder if traffic through the Strait of Hormuz is not resumed.

The IRGC states that "not a single liter of oil" will be exported from the Middle East if the attacks by the US and Israel continue.  

Opinions
Concerns over deteriorating security in South Korea as US sends resources to Iran

The US moving military resources from Asia to the Middle East has raised concerns that the region's defenses are being weakened in both South Korea and Japan, Reuters reports. The items include artillery batteries and air defense systems - equipment usually used to deter North Korea and China.

South Korean President Lee Jae-Myung stresses that the country can defend itself effectively against North Korea even without the US weapons systems that are now being moved.

- We have expressed our opposition to moving air defenses, he says, but acknowledges that South Korea does not have much say in the matter.

Military expert Choi Gi-Il says this could lead to questions about the US commitment to regional security.

- There is a risk that North Korea will misinterpret the move of some weapons and use it as an excuse for minor provocations, he says.

Trump's USA Votes on
Analysis: Trump keen to declare victory – but seems to lack vision and answers

Throughout his life, Donald Trump has talked his way out of crises, but when it comes to the Iran war, it is difficult. This is what CNN's Stephen Collinson writes. After ten days of fighting, the president has still not delivered a clear answer as to why the US is at war in the Middle East.

Several polls show that a majority of the US is against the war. In addition, fuel prices are rising sharply due to the conflict. At a press conference on Monday, Trump tried again to give the people an explanation. It went something like this, Collinson believes.

"Several times he spoke of the war in the past tense, as if he wished it were already over."

Andrew Roth at The Guardian is on the same track. He believes that the statements at the press conference – where Trump said that the war is "largely over" – were vague and contradictory. Trump gave no clear answer on how long the war will last, nor did he explain what the US wants to achieve in the Middle East.

If there is a clear vision for how the war can be ended, it was not given at the press conference, he writes.

Trump seems very keen to declare victory in Iran, notes David Blevins on Sky News.

“But his newfound optimism comes at a time when politics and markets are clashing,” he writes.  

Republicans: Get to the bottom of the attack on the girls' school in Iran

Several Republican senators are demanding that the military get to the bottom of the information that it was an American missile that hit a girls' school in Iran and claimed 180 lives during the first day of the war, writes Semafor.

- We should find out everything we can about this. It's tragic. It's sad. It's what happens in all wars, and this is war, says Senator Todd Young.

He is supported by his Republican Senate colleagues Kevin Cramer and John Kennedy.

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said the other day that the attack is under investigation, but that "it's only Iran that is targeting civilians."