WASHINGTON: As the war in the Middle East spirals further, US President Donald Trump said on Monday that the US has “the capability to go far longer ” than its projected four-to-five-week time frame for its military operations against Iran.
The US and Israel have continued to pound Iran since killing its Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Saturday, while Tehran and its allies have hit back against Israel, neighbouring Gulf states, and targets critical to the world’s production of oil and natural gas.
The intensity of the attacks and the lack of any apparent exit plan set the stage for a prolonged conflict with far-reaching consequences. Israel and the US have given conflicting answers about what exactly the war’s objectives are or what the endgame might be.