The U.S. military completed its 13th consecutive night of strikes on Iran late Thursday, targeting Iranian military command centers, drone storage facilities, communication networks, coastal surveillance sites, and maritime capabilities. These attacks, lasting over two hours, aim to diminish what U.S. Central Command calls a threat to "civilian mariners and commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz." The stated objective is to secure vital shipping lanes for global capital.
President Donald Trump indicated he is weighing a resumption of major combat operations against Iran, promising "major military punishment" for Iran and its Houthi allies. This follows Yemeni fighters striking two Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea, extending the conflict into a second major shipping chokepoint. Trump told Axios, "I am considering a massive attack. Bigger than ever before. I am close to making a decision. We are all set for it." He has also threatened Iranian energy facilities and bridges, actions international law experts in the U.S. said in April could amount to war crimes under the 1949 Geneva Conventions.
Imperial Ambitions and Capital's Demands
The U.S.-Israeli war on Iran began on February 28 of the same year. Since then, U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran and Israeli attacks on Lebanon have killed thousands and displaced millions. Tehran responded with its own strikes on Israel and Gulf states hosting U.S. bases. Republican defense hawks openly urged President Trump to unleash major combat operations, framing the conflict as a necessary step to secure U.S. interests.
Senate Armed Services Committee Chair Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) spoke to Trump multiple times this week, encouraging him to continue "pounding the country." Wicker stated, "I’ve expressed publicly and privately my approval of finishing the job, and realizing that negotiations were getting us nowhere." He added, "I believe we can keep the strait open on our terms, and that’s the key to a successful conclusion of hostilities." Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-Texas), vying for the House Armed Services Committee chair, called for the U.S. military to "clobber Iran as hard as we possibly can right now." He insisted that "anything they have that they could possibly use to cause problems in the strait needs to be destroyed."
Rep. Derrick Van Orden (R-Wis.) praised Trump for using "massive bombing strikes" to bring Tehran to the negotiating table. He argued the goal is to prevent Iran from ever having a nuclear weapon, asserting that Iranian control over the Strait of Hormuz, even with conventional weapons, is unacceptable. Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.), a retired brigadier general, believes Iran needs to be "crushed" militarily to force it to "stick their hand out to say please stop." Rep. Rich McCormick (R-Ga.), a former Marine pilot, advocated for swift action, stating, "Ultimately, you save lives by being decisive and violent and turning the people against their own leadership." McCormick, who was in the Navy Medical Corps, advised Trump to trust his instincts on regime change in Iran, calling it "transformational to world politics."
The State's Enforcers and Civilian Costs
The U.S. has surged firepower to the Middle East, deploying F-35s and F-16 fighter jets to the CENTCOM theater. Multiple Air Force C-17 Globemaster transport aircraft flew from Germany to Israel and Jordan last week. More than 150 medics recently arrived at Germany’s Landstuhl Regional Medical Center. Since major hostilities resumed in early July, U.S. military casualties have mounted. Eighteen service members have been killed, and over 500 have been injured. The Pentagon confirmed 17 days ago that nearly 100 service members had been wounded since July 7, though 96 percent have returned to duty.
Democrats criticized Trump’s decision to launch Operation Epic Fury, working to halt U.S. military operations through war powers resolutions. Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) stated, "It’s clear, they had no plans," criticizing the administration's approach to foreign policy. Rep. Brad Sherman (D-Calif.) called the conflict "so botched" but maintained that the Strait of Hormuz must remain a "free shipping lane, not subject to Iranian control." Sherman also identified Iran's electrical generation facilities as "legitimate military targets" if they power the military or weapons manufacturing, asserting the legality of stopping drone manufacturing that threatens shipping.
Managing Dissent, Preserving Empire
Public support for the war is declining, even among Trump’s supporters. A June Reuters/Ipsos poll found only 24 percent of Americans believe the conflict has been worth the cost. Nearly 80 percent of respondents in a Reuters survey last week expect the U.S. military to remain engaged for an "extended period of time." Earlier this week, a Politico poll revealed nearly 1 in 5 MAGA voters want the U.S. to end the conflict regardless of the costs. Despite this, Trump claimed the U.S. is doing "very well" in the war, saying, "better than anybody expected could be done."