Middle East Crisis Iran War

Middle East Expert: It's not war again – yet

The new attacks between the US and Iran do not mean that the countries have returned to war. This is what Middle East expert Alexander Atarodi tells SVTNews.

– We still do not have an American blockade in place and that would of course be another serious step towards the war coming back. But we are not there yet.

At the same time, Atarodi says that the attacks are "the most powerful since April". 

Iran strikes several countries after US attacks

Iran says it has attacked 85 US targets in Bahrain and Kuwait, writes Reuters.

The attacks come after Iran has promised a "crushing response" to the attacks that the US carried out in the Strait of Hormuz during the night of Wednesday. This is stated by the Iranian military headquarters for the state television company IRIB, according to CNN.

TT reports that Iran has stated that the attacks are seen as a violation of the memorandum of understanding signed between the countries in mid-June.

The more than 80 attacks that the US carried out during the night to Wednesday were, according to the US military, aimed at, among other things, air defense. Over 60 boats belonging to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard were also attacked, reports the BBC.

The US, for its part, has stated that the attacks were carried out in response to Iran having previously attacked three transport ships in the Strait of Hormuz.  

US carries out attacks on Iran – for the second day in a row

For the second night in a row, the US is targeting Iran, the military command Centcom said on X.

The aim is to “further weaken the country’s ability to threaten free navigation through the Strait of Hormuz,” it said in a statement.

The US military is carrying out the attacks in response to Iranian attacks on ships in the strait. They are being carried out on the same day that President Donald Trump has threatened new attacks.

Iranian media reports that explosions have occurred at several of the sites that were attacked on Tuesday,

Expert: If there is war again, it could be worse

If the war between the US and Iran were to flare up again, it would have serious consequences, says Middle East expert Alexander Atarodi to SVT Nyheter.

– I think it could even be worse than last time.

Despite the attacks of recent days, Atarodi does not believe that a new war is imminent. During the NATO summit in Turkey, President Donald Trump has promised new attacks on Iran tonight.

It would take further escalation from the US for war to break out again, Atarodi predicts. The president said on Wednesday that the ceasefire between the countries is over. 

Analysis: Trump has no better option than to negotiate with Iran

No matter how much Donald Trump speaks ill of the Iranian regime and threatens new attacks, Iran has a firm grip on the strategically important Strait of Hormuz. David Blair writes in an analysis in The Telegraph.

Even though the US president has now declared that the ceasefire with Iran is over, it is entirely possible that he will swing the balance as usual and declare tomorrow that the parties have agreed on a new agreement.

“But if Trump is serious and the war flares up again, the great irony is that the Iranian regime is stronger today than when the US-Israeli offensive began on February 28,” he writes.

There is no doubt that the US can cause great damage to Iran, but so far it has failed to break the Iranian regime, writes the BBC’s Jeremy Bowen. Like Blair, Bowen believes that Trump’s new aggressive statements are not written in stone.

“The US president, despite his tough rhetoric, has no better option than continued negotiations with Iran.”

Adam Austin on Sky News has had a hard time keeping up with all the threatening statements that Trump has made on Wednesday.

– He seems to have little understanding of the situation. I don’t think he has given any answers as to what the US will actually do, he says.

Reuters reports.