The United States and Israel are trying to force Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz, according to American and Israel officials.
U.S. forces launched more than 90 “restrikes” on Kharg Island, Iran’s oil export hub, early on Tuesday but have avoided hitting oil infrastructure.
The president said he would bomb Iran “back to the Stone Ages.” Until this administration, American leaders had insisted they were trying to follow international law in war.
President Trump faces the possibility that at the end of his own two-to-three week window for wrapping up the war in Iran, nothing much will have changed.
The slow-moving A-10 “Warthog” is a so-called close-air support plane that could be used to help U.S. ground forces seize territory near the Strait of Hormuz.
President Trump threatened to hit vital infrastructure in Iran if the Strait of Hormuz was not reopened, but he also said that “regime change” had already been achieved.
President Trump said in a newspaper interview that the United States might try to invade the Persian Gulf island, which is Iran’s main oil export hub.
The order gives President Trump more military options as he considers diplomacy with Iran. It is unclear where the soldiers will go in the Middle East.
There are several ways the United States could attempt to reopen the waterway, all of which carry substantial risks.