The United States and Israel are preparing for a possible resumption of strikes on Iran as early as this week, in what could be the largest military activity since a ceasefire was announced last month.
NYT writes about this, citing sources.
Two Middle Eastern interlocutors have spoken of a scenario of air strikes, but military analysts say bombing is unlikely to force Tehran to agree to Washingtonʼs demands.
The countries are also considering an operation involving special forces to seize stocks of highly enriched uranium, which Iran could use to create nuclear weapons.
However, such a raid could endanger the lives of American military personnel, which would further weaken domestic support in the United States for a war against Iran.
War in the Middle East and negotiations between Iran and the US
On the morning of February 28, the United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran. These attacks killed Iranʼs Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and almost the entire military leadership of the country — about 40 key high-ranking officials.
Iran, in response to the US and Israeli attacks, began shelling Arab countries and Israel. The war also halted tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow sea corridor between Iran and Oman that connects the Persian Gulf to the Indian Ocean. It was through it that almost a fifth of the worldʼs oil exports passed — tens of millions of barrels a day.
On April 8, the parties agreed to a two-week ceasefire. On April 13, the United States began a naval blockade of Iranian ports, demanding the complete unblocking of the Strait of Hormuz for all ships.
On April 17, Lebanon and Israel agreed to a ceasefire, after which Iran unblocked the Strait of Hormuz. However, on April 18, Iran reported that it was again blocking the Strait of Hormuz due to the US naval blockade. On the same day, Iran fired on several ships attempting to pass through the strait.
On April 21, Trump tweeted that he had extended the ceasefire with Iran until the Iranians submitted their proposals and concluded discussions. And on May 1, Axios reported, citing a letter from Trump to House Speaker Mike Johnson, that Trump considered the war over.
Despite this, on May 8, Iran accused the US of violating the ceasefire by attacking two ships in the Strait of Hormuz and striking civilian areas. But there is no talk of a breakdown yet.
At the end of April, the Pentagon reported that the US had spent $25 billion on the war. Most of this money went to ammunition.
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