"We're not done in Iran yet. They haven't seen anything yet; so far we've been polite." Angered by the deaths of more American soldiers , Donald Trump promises revenge and is considering an "all-out war" against Tehran, while downplaying the prospect of dialogue. " They desperately want a meeting. But we're not interested until they're ready," he said from the White House, flanked by Lebanese President Joseph Aoun. As the cross-strikes continue and Iran has struck an Amazon data center in Bahrain, the commander-in-chief has warned of even more serious attacks on the horizon.
"We will strike every nuclear site they plan to rebuild," he thundered, assuring that the United States would soon unleash its firepower against Pickaxe Mountain (Kuh-e Kolang Gaz La in Farsi). And if the Houthis were to block the Red Sea, "we will take care of it," he added, expressing his readiness to continue a war that is emptying the Pentagon's coffers. The conflict has so far cost $37.5 billion, up from the previous estimate of $29 billion. In his first hearing since May, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth appeared before the Senate to request $87 billion in new resources for his department. These are needed "urgently," Hegseth noted, explaining that the $1.5 trillion budget requested by the White House for the Pentagon must also be approved. "Failing to pass it is the greatest threat to the country," he added.
Interrupted on at least three occasions by those calling for an end to the war in Iran, Hegseth reiterated his belief that no congressional authorization is currently needed to proceed with the conflict. The request for new funds has Republicans cornered and facing a worst-case scenario just over 100 days before the midterm elections . The party is being asked to approve new resources for a war Americans dislike and that Congress has never approved, just as the number of American casualties is rising. Since the beginning of the conflict, 18 soldiers have been killed, and 100 have been wounded in the last 14 days alone. Trump does not appear concerned about the impact the conflict may have on the midterm elections. "I'm just trying to do the right thing," he stated, attempting to reassure the party and explain his motivations to voters. The commander-in-chief, however, faces a dilemma: continue with the war, risking antagonizing Republicans and Americans, or stop or at least try to end the war as quickly as possible.
A quick victory in Iran seems unlikely at this time: the regime has demonstrated its ability to withstand American attacks and, according to intelligence sources, is unlikely to soften its stance at the negotiating table following the new wave of American military strikes. Intelligence analysts therefore see a prolonged stalemate and an "indefinite limbo" between peace and war. This prospect unnerves conservatives: their "dream" is for Trump to focus on the cost of living and the issues Americans care about rather than a "slow but protracted" conflict that could be interpreted by the general public as a new "forever war." Behind the scenes, pressure is being applied relentlessly on the president to tone down his position and accept a 10-day truce, as proposed by mediators, to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and lay a new foundation for dialogue that could also reduce pressure on his Gulf allies, exasperated by the war and concerned for their national security.
(Unioneonline)
