US attacks on Iran continue as Trump weighs larger strike
Trump said he is considering a bigger strike as Iranian media reported new attacks and a former Pentagon official warned of depleted US munitions.
By Daniel Okafor · Business Editor
3 min read
US attacks on Iran continued as President Donald Trump said he was considering a “massive attack” that would be “bigger than ever before,” according to Al Jazeera. The remarks came as Iranian media reported fresh strikes in several cities and a former Pentagon official warned that US weapons stocks may take years to recover.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said, according to Al Jazeera, that further “mindless aggression” would raise the cost to Trump of reaching a deal. Al Jazeera also reported that Britain said its armed forces were ready to defend the country after Iran’s Revolutionary Guards warned about the use of UK bases by US bombers.
What is happening in the US attacks on Iran?
Iranian outlets reported attacks and explosions in multiple locations, while Iranian officials signaled that retaliation would continue if American strikes went on. Al Jazeera’s Tohid Asadi, reporting from Tehran, said there had been reports of blasts on Qeshm Island and in Ahvaz, along with unconfirmed initial reports that a flying object had been downed over Qeshm Island.
Qeshm Island sits near the Strait of Hormuz, a waterway Al Jazeera described as a geo-strategic location. Asadi said Iranian officials, including the speaker of parliament, the foreign minister and military sources, have warned that continued American strikes would bring stronger retaliatory attacks on US military assets in the region.
Iran’s Mehr news agency reported that missiles hit areas around Andimeshk and Omidiyeh in Khuzestan province. Mehr quoted Valiullah Hayati, a deputy security and law enforcement official in the Khuzestan governor’s office, as saying the strikes came from the American military; Mehr reported no casualties or injuries in those attacks.
Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency reported that two people were injured in attacks on Bandar Abbas. Fars, citing the deputy governor for political, security and social affairs in Hormozgan province, said the strikes hit the Tappeh Allah-o-Akbar neighborhood, a residential area of the port city.
US stockpiles could take years to rebuild
Mark Cancian, a former Pentagon official, told Al Jazeera that US arms use in the Iran war may have reduced readiness for other potential conflicts. Cancian said an analysis of seven munitions used heavily against Iran and also relevant to a possible Western Pacific war found the United States had used between one-third and one-half of those weapons.
Cancian, who worked on Defense Department budget strategy and war funding and is now a senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said it could take two to five years for US stockpiles to return to prewar levels. He described that as a “window of vulnerability” if another conflict began elsewhere, including around Taiwan.
Al Jazeera reported that the war has cost the United States $37.5 billion and that Pete Hegseth, the US Secretary of War, said this week he needs another $70 billion for the Iran war and broader military readiness. A separate Al Jazeera video segment said the US war on Iran carried a nearly $110 billion price tag and that the Trump administration wanted another $67 billion.
Cancian told Al Jazeera that warfare is shifting toward a mix of high-end missiles and low-cost drones. He said that mix includes ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and cheaper drones; Al Jazeera reported that sea drones, described as remote-controlled explosive boats, have been used by the United States against Iranian coastal targets.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.