U.S. forces completed their twelfth consecutive night of strikes against Iranian military targets Wednesday, hitting maritime capabilities, missile and drone storage facilities, coastal surveillance sites, and air defense assets across the country. The sustained campaign, directed by President Donald Trump, has targeted dozens of Iranian military installations on land in July while reimposing a naval blockade at sea. The latest strikes lasted five hours, U.S. Central Command said.
The United States is positioning additional military assets across the Middle East as Trump considers expanding operations against Iran, according to people familiar with the matter who spoke to The Wall Street Journal. Fighter jets have been deployed throughout the region and bomber aircraft are on high alert, U.S. officials told the Journal. The reinforcements are designed to give the president more military options as the conflict, now in its first year since fighting began February 28, enters what could be a more intensive phase.
Israeli Assessment: Major Escalation Coming
Israeli officials believe Trump is preparing to significantly widen the American military campaign against Iran, according to two Israeli officials. They said an expanded U.S. operation targeting Iranian strategic infrastructure and senior regime officials would likely trigger direct Iranian retaliation against Israel. That assessment reflects the interconnected nature of the conflict, which began when U.S. and Israeli forces attacked Iran on February 28 and Iran responded with strikes on Israel and Gulf states hosting U.S. bases, according to Reuters.
Trump on Wednesday threatened to destroy Iranian bridges and power plants in retaliation for any future Iranian attack on ships in the Strait of Hormuz. "The US will bomb and destroy one bridge or power plant, including those located next to, or in, the capital city of Tehran," Trump said, "from this point forward, any time the Islamic Republic of Iran shoots at a ship in the Strait of Hormuz." The threat marks a potential expansion beyond military targets to civilian infrastructure.
The Strategic Chokepoint
The Strait of Hormuz remains a flashpoint in the broader regional conflict. Iran's joint military command warned that if Trump's threat were carried out, its forces would target regional oil, gas, electricity and economic facilities, state media reported. The strait is a critical waterway for global energy supplies, and any escalation there could have immediate economic consequences beyond the immediate combatants.
Reuters reported that U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran and Israeli attacks on Lebanon have killed thousands and displaced millions since the conflict began. U.S. troop deaths have risen to 18 in recent days, underscoring the human cost of the expanding military operations. The conflict has also drawn in Yemen's Houthis, who've been targeting tankers in the Red Sea, adding another front to the fighting around Iran.
Legal and Diplomatic Questions
The 1949 Geneva Conventions prohibit attacks on sites considered essential for civilians, Reuters noted. International law experts in the United States said in April—the third month of the conflict—that attacks on civilian infrastructure may amount to war crimes after Trump's initial threats. Trump's threat that month to destroy Iran's entire civilization drew wide condemnation from international observers.
The sustained American military campaign represents the most direct U.S.-Iran confrontation in decades. With additional forces now positioned throughout the region and Trump openly threatening Iranian civilian infrastructure, the conflict appears poised for further escalation. Iran's warning of retaliation against regional energy facilities raises the prospect of a wider war that could disrupt global oil markets and draw in additional regional actors.
Why This Matters:
The twelve-night American bombing campaign against Iran represents a fundamental shift in U.S. Middle East strategy—from deterrence and proxy conflicts to direct military confrontation with a regional power. Trump's positioning of additional forces and his public threats against civilian infrastructure suggest he's prepared to expand operations beyond the current tempo. If the U.S. follows through on threats to destroy bridges and power plants, Iran has promised to retaliate against Gulf energy facilities that supply global markets. Israeli officials' assessment that expanded U.S. strikes would trigger Iranian attacks on Israel shows how quickly this could become a multi-front regional war. With 18 American troops already dead and the Houthis adding a Red Sea front, the conflict is testing whether sustained military pressure can force Iranian capitulation or whether it will instead entrench a broader Middle Eastern war with unpredictable economic and humanitarian consequences. The legal questions surrounding attacks on civilian infrastructure add another layer of complexity to a campaign that's already in its first year with no clear endgame in sight.