It looks like all-out war between Iran and the United States has sparked again. The two countries traded attacks over the last 48 hours, harkening back to military action at the beginning of the war. President Donald Trump said Friday that his forces will hit Iran “very hard tonight” again.
It all started with the downing of an American Apache attack helicopter earlier this week. The United States claimed it would retaliate with self-defense strikes, and these started again almost immediately.
Apache Helicopter. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
Trump Is Beside Himself
Trump is furious because of the near loss of life with the Apache shoot down (the crew was rescued) and the unwillingness of Iran to agree to a comprehensive peace deal that would see Tehran give up its nuclear program, relinquish enriched uranium, and open the Strait of Hormuz permanently.
Iran Delivers Attacks Of Its Own
Iran struck back with attacks on U.S. targets across the Middle East on Thursday. Trump has warned that the Americans could invade and seize the key oil hub on Kharg Island in “the not too distant future.” Tehran said it would completely close the Strait of Hormuz to all shipping.
The Attacks Have Been Deadly
The Americans bombed a tanker off the coast of Oman, killing three sailors from India. The United States said the vessel was violating the blockade it imposed on Iran.
Is Diplomacy Still an Option?
Trump’s idea is to use armed diplomacy to force the Iranians to come back to the table. But the regime has other ideas. The ceasefire is over, a state of war exists, and it’s not clear if the Iranians will take Trump up on the offer to negotiate. Forcing talks at the point of the gun may not be a winning strategy for the Americans, as tit-for-tat strikes appear to be the norm now.
An F/A-18F Super Hornet, attached to Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 195, taxis on the flight deck of Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73) while underway in the Celebes Sea, Nov. 29, 2025. George Washington is the U.S. Navy’s premier forward-deployed aircraft carrier, a long-standing symbol of the United States’ commitment to maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific region, while operating alongside allies and partners across the U.S. Navy’s largest numbered fleet. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Tyler Crowley)
A U.S. Navy EA-18G Growler prepares to refuel from a U.S. Air Force KC-135 Stratotanker over the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, March 29, 2025. The Growlers are assigned to the Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group supporting maritime security operations in the CENTCOM AOR. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Gerald R. Willis)
A U.S. Navy F/A-18E Super Hornet aircraft assigned to Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 14 participates in an air power demonstration near the aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74) April 24, 2013, in the Pacific Ocean. The John C. Stennis Carrier Strike Group was returning from an eight-month deployment to the U.S. 5th Fleet and U.S. 7th Fleet areas of responsibility. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Apprentice Ignacio D. Perez/Released)
“Our Powerful Armed Forces will leave no attack or threat unanswered,” the country’s Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said on X Tuesday, as reported by NBC News.
Taking the Fight to Iranian Civilians
Now, there are breaking reports that the U.S. military attacked drinking water facilities in southern Iran on Wednesday, although, to be clear, reporting on this is not clear at the moment. We cannot confirm this reporting independently.
This is a different gambit that will punish ordinary Iranians – a step that Trump is willing to take to structure a lasting peace on American terms.
Iran: Trump Is Dangerously ‘Unhinged’
A defense staffer to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei said Friday that Trump is “unhinged,” NBC News noted.
“The unhinged U.S. president imagines that bombs can get him out of the quagmire he himself created,” Mohsen Rezaei exclaimed in a post on X.
What Will Happen Next?
Iran is “calling Trump’s bluff,” the New York Times claimed. “Trump has few easy options. The U.S. is dangerously low on long-range weapons stocks, and seizing Kharg would involve a substantial risk of American casualties, and most of Trump’s advisers oppose a full-blown ground operation to try to topple the Iranian government. But he continues to make bellicose threats and in recent days has launched waves of military strikes, the New York Times wrote.
Middle East Nations Are In Iranian Crosshairs
Meanwhile, American allies in the Middle East sustained attacks from Iran. Kuwait, Bahrain, and Jordan. Air defense interceptors worked overtime, shooting down Iranian missiles and drones.
Trump said Iran would “pay the price” for these strikes.
In a statement reported by CBS News, the Iranian foreign ministry said: “The illegal and criminal attacks perpetrated by the United States in recent hours not only constitute a flagrant violation … but also render the ceasefire practically meaningless.”
Could the U.S. Order Boots on the Ground?
The U.S. military is considering ground strikes to help open the Strait of Hormuz. Kharg Island could be invaded by special operations forces in a mission I predicted would happen at the beginning of the war. This would likely be accomplished by SEAL Team Six, a force of U.S. Marines and Army paratroopers. It is not clear whether that group would be sufficient to fend off an Iranian counter-attack or hold the island for very long.
Using ground troops would shock the American public, many of whom are against the war, and have Members of Congress crying foul, who believe that this is an illegal war that is not abiding by the War Powers Resolution restrictions on open-ended conflict without lawmakers’ approval.
Trump may just be making idle threats about using ground troops, even if it is just a pre-emptive move against Kharg Island that could see the Americans conduct a smaller raid that would handcuff the Iranians’ ability to process energy products.
Even so, just the mention of U.S. boots on the ground would have many critics come out in force, and extensive American casualties could happen if an invasion were executed.
We will continue to cover the war throughout the weekend and give you updates as these fast-moving events unfold. The next step for Trump could be putting ground forces in harm’s way, and if Iran causes U.S. casualties, it will be a significant development that would impact a larger peace process that is suffering now, as the ceasefire has imploded.
About the Author: Brent M. Eastwood, PhD
Author of now over 3,500 articles on defense issues, Brent M. Eastwood, PhD, is the author of Don’t Turn Your Back On the World: A Conservative Foreign Policy and Humans, Machines, and Data: Future Trends in Warfare, plus two other books. Brent was the founder and CEO of a tech firm that predicted world events using artificial intelligence. He served as a legislative fellow for US Senator Tim Scott and advised the senator on defense and foreign policy issues. He has taught at American University, George Washington University, and George Mason University. Brent is a former US Army Infantry officer. He can be followed on X @BMEastwood.
