United States forces commenced a fresh wave of airstrikes against Iran on Saturday, July 18, acting on direct orders from the Commander in Chief, in a move that escalates military tensions across two flashpoints in the region. The strikes, which began at 6 p.m. Eastern Time, were directed at Iran's infrastructure and were specifically intended to weaken Tehran's ability to endanger commercial vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world's most critical maritime chokepoints through which a significant portion of global oil trade flows.
Attack on American Soldiers in Jordan Triggers US Response
The timing of the operation was shaped in part by an assault carried out by Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) forces against American service members stationed in Jordan on Tuesday night. Washington said the airstrikes were also intended to deliver swift punishment for that attack. Officials framed the campaign as a direct and calculated response to what they described as a pattern of Iranian aggression, both against US personnel and against the freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, which connects the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman.
Mixed Reactions to US Strikes on Iran
The development has started generating mixed reactions. Sam1345 said that the US should attack the Iranian government rather than infrastructure: "The evil regime cares only about its own survival and the safety of its leaders. Everyone else, including civilian infrastructure, is expendable. The United States must change its strategy and impose a cost the regime can no longer afford for its continued atrocities." Phantom Pain commented: "Strikes 'at the commander in chief's direction,' that would be Netanyahu?! Bibi started this whole reckless war. Now American soldiers are dying and being injured in numbers, and he doesn't care why? Because, as Tucker Carlson said, Bibi wants to see the end of America." S Hanif expressed indifference about the war: "Iran was the closest ally of the United States and Israel at the time the U.S. occupied Iraq and Afghanistan. USA, Israel and Iran are members of the same gang." Jay Salem claimed that President Donald Trump is destroying the US economy with the war: "Trump is destroying the economy with these pointless wars. For income under $50k, groceries are not affordable for 82%. I supported him for America First, not endless wars & sky-high prices. When do we get off this ride?"
