While Iran is fighting back, it is less formidable than Washington thought, a top US general said Tuesday, as the United States braced for what it called the most intense strike against Iran in the war so far.
The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Dan Cain, told reporters that the United States is conducting strikes against Iranian minelaying ships and that the Pentagon will look at several options if it is tasked with escorting the ships through the Strait of Hormuz.
The war effectively shut down the Strait of Hormuz, a chokepoint for global oil and liquefied natural gas shipments, leaving tankers unable to sail for more than a week and forcing producers to stop pumping as storage overflowed.
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“I think he’s struggling, and I respect that, but I don’t think he’s any more formidable than we thought,” Kane said.
US President Donald Trump on Monday threatened to escalate a war with Iran if he blocked oil shipments from the Middle East, predicting a quick end to the conflict.
At a press conference at the Pentagon, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Tuesday that the United States would have an “intense day” against Iran.
Hegseth reiterated that this is not an endless war and said that Trump will decide when the US campaign ends.
Kane said the United States had conducted strikes against more than 5,000 targets against more than 50 naval vessels in the first 10 days of the operation.
(tags to translate)Iran
