The ongoing fighting in the Middle East, in particular last night's strikes in which the US military claimed to have destroyed five Iranian oil tankers in the Persian Gulf region, are a major topic for American and British publications, BTA reported.
Great Britain
The US military said it had destroyed Iranian tankers after Iran tried to hit a US Navy warship with ballistic missiles, as violence in the region intensified again, which in turn led to a rise in the price of oil to nearly $100 per barrel, the Guardian newspaper reports. The publication quotes US Secretary of State Marco Rubio as saying that the US will not allow Iran's attacks to go unanswered: “Iran continues to try to hit US naval ships. And every time they do that or try to do that, they're going to lose tankers. And I think you're going to see that again today“.
The war with Iran will last another six months, predicted former US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, quoted by the “Independent“. The former head of the Pentagon under President Barack Obama and former CIA director, warned that Donald Trump's war in Iran risks becoming another “eternal war in the Middle East“. “The US and Iran are in a terrible stalemate in which there is really very little opportunity to end this war“, he noted. He added that reports of tension between Pentagon officials are weakening the US position. "Whether it's Iran or our adversaries, they're now looking at the United States and seeing a weakness in our ability to really apply our military capabilities to defend our country," Panetta added.
The conflict in the Middle East has dragged on despite Washington's efforts to put pressure on the Iranian economy through sanctions and a naval blockade of ports, writes the British "Daily Telegraph". According to US Central Command, the destroyed tankers were part of a multi-billion dollar "shadow network" that helps Tehran evade Western sanctions on its oil. Meanwhile, negotiations between the US and Iran are at a standstill and US President Donald Trump has been repeatedly criticized for underestimating Tehran's resilience. Earlier yesterday, the price of oil jumped to its highest level since July.
Rising energy prices – fueled by the war in Iran – are likely to be a major issue in the upcoming US midterm elections in November. The Trump administration has sought to downplay the conflict, with Vice President J.D. Vance telling reporters that “I wouldn't call it a war“.
USA
The United States is striking Iranian oil tankers in response to Tehran's attacks on naval vessels, the “Wall Street Journal” reports. Since Friday, Iran has fired ballistic missiles at a US aircraft carrier, naval destroyers and at least one Marine ship, according to US officials familiar with the attacks. All attacks failed, the US Central Command said, but officials described some of them as dangerous.
At the same time, the publication notes growing concerns that Tehran's missiles are becoming more sophisticated. Iran may use more advanced weapons, such as missiles with electro-optical homing devices that can maneuver to targets. Apparently, this has led to concerns among American officials that Iran may be receiving help from Russia or China to track American warships.
The oil tankers are linked to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the paramilitary force that is the most powerful institution in Tehran, the “Washington Post“ notes in turn. Among the destroyed ships are the Iranian motor tankers “Kaviz“, “Harminar“, “Horizon 1“ and the “Riesko“ in the Gulf of Oman, as well as the “Derya“ near Kharg Island, a strategically important oil terminal in the Persian Gulf. U.S. forces ordered the crews to abandon ship before the ships were hit, the military said in a statement.
“Let the message to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps be clear: If you fire on two of our ships, we will impose an even greater economic price on you - we will destroy three of yours. We will not hesitate to defend American forces and, if necessary, destroy Iran's limited and vulnerable oil fleet,“ Admiral Brad Cooper, head of U.S. Central Command, was quoted as saying.
Iran is signaling readiness to escalate the conflict in the face of growing pressure from the United States, warns the “New York Times“. According to the publication, Tehran is taking an increasingly aggressive approach as it faces a growing economic threat and worries that its control over the Strait of Hormuz is weakening. The American blockade makes it almost impossible for Iran to deliver oil, its main source of money. So the Islamic Republic sees escalation as the main lever it has against the United States, the newspaper adds, as evidenced by the increasingly sharp warnings of its top leaders in recent days. Thus, according to analysts, the risk of a full-scale war is increasing.