US Pauses Iran Strikes; Trump Eyes 'Massive Attack'
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- America has not launched new strikes on Iran in the past 48 hours — the first pause after 13 consecutive nights of bombing, per the Economist.
- Iran launched 12 attacks on ships in the Persian Gulf since July 6th, essentially shutting the Strait of Hormuz once more.
- Donald Trump said on July 23rd that America was "all set" for a "massive attack," with movements of fighter jets, special forces, and medical equipment to the region suggesting a return to full-scale war.
- The April ceasefire and June memorandum of understanding between the US and Iran are now described as "a distant memory" in the article.
- The US has "few good options" to force Iran to honor its MOU commitments, specifically reopening the Strait of Hormuz to shipping and committing to talks on downgrading its uranium stockpile.
- Even renewed assaults on Iran's nuclear programme may not prevent a "forever war," according to the Economist's analysis.
Why it matters: Trump faces a binary with no clean exit: escalate to a "massive attack" that risks an open-ended forever war, or accept that Iran can keep the Strait of Hormuz choked without honoring its MOU. Twelve Iranian attacks on Gulf shipping since July 6th show Tehran is sustaining that pressure even under 13 straight nights of American bombing — meaning the status quo already costs the US strategically without a single new strike.
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