Tension at a Peak: The Emerging New Formula in the War

Tension at a Peak: The Emerging New Formula in the War, the United States attacks, Iran responds only against American targets. The goal is to force Tehran to compromise in negotiations

Asaf Rosenzweig, N12 Published: 11.06.26, 09:28

The president issued advance notice. Khamenei and Trump | Photo: Reuters, AP

News in Brief

President Trump announced it, then ordered a wave of strikes in Iran Iran responded by launching drone attacks against the U.S. Fifth Fleet in Bahrain Tehran avoided striking Israel and focused on American targets U.S. officials: "The president did not expect to see Iran behave this way" Meanwhile, inflation in the United States jumped to a three-year high because of the tensions

The broad wave of strikes overnight, between Wednesday and Thursday, in Iran, which the Pentagon described as "power diplomacy," was meant to force Tehran to soften at the negotiating table over a new nuclear agreement. While Trump is trying to project control over the crisis and is sending reassuring messages through mediators that he does not intend to launch a full-scale war, Iran responded with its own strikes against American bases and targets in the region, raising concern that the fragile ceasefire that had lasted for months has finally collapsed.

The American strikes began just hours after Trump declared that Iran was "making fools of us" because it had not accepted U.S. terms for a new nuclear agreement. The president also said, "We will strike hard." U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth made clear the aggressive line, saying: "If we have to negotiate with bombs, we will negotiate with bombs. We are very good at it. There is nobody better in the world."

The American strikes focused on air defense systems and radar sites near the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian media reported explosions across the country, including in the city of Karaj near Tehran.

"Power diplomacy." An American fighter jet en route to strike Iran | Photo: Reuters

According to The Wall Street Journal, despite the harsh images, U.S. officials stressed that Trump has not abandoned the diplomatic channel. After ordering the wave of strikes, he instructed his aides to convey a message to Tehran through Qatar, which is mediating between the sides. He made clear that the strikes were a targeted response to the downing of an American Apache helicopter the previous day, not a declaration of full-scale war. Trump himself addressed the situation cynically, telling reporters: "In this part of the world, a 'ceasefire' is when you shoot more moderately."

Iran responds, the Gulf goes on alert

The Iranian response was not long in coming, but it focused on American targets and avoided striking Israel. Tehran announced that it had attacked the U.S. Fifth Fleet stationed in Bahrain with drones. Following reports of missile and drone attacks, sirens were activated in Bahrain and residents were told to take shelter.

Advertisement

The Kuwaiti army and the U.S. Embassy in Jordan also issued similar warnings to citizens.

At the same time, the escalating fighting between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon, Iran's proxy, continues to cloud efforts to reach calm, with analysts pointing out that Trump is having difficulty restraining the scope of the Israeli strikes.

The U.S. economy under pressure

At home, Trump is facing severe economic consequences from the crisis. Although he insists that the situation is under control and is applying an "economic pressure" campaign that includes sanctions and a trade blockade on Iran, administration officials admit that he did not anticipate the force of the Iranian response.

"If necessary, we will negotiate with bombs." Hegseth | Photo: AP

U.S. inflation has jumped to a three-year high, and rising fuel prices are eroding citizens' wage gains. In addition, tensions in the Strait of Hormuz, the lifeline of global oil, are keeping fuel prices high, putting the Republican Party at risk ahead of the midterm elections.

Advertisement

The agreement that is drifting farther away

The gaps between the sides remain deep. Trump is demanding much tougher terms than the 2015 nuclear deal, including the destruction of enriched uranium and a halt to enrichment for at least a decade. Iran, for its part, is demanding sanctions relief and the release of assets worth billions of dollars before entering serious negotiations.

Experts warn that the current situation, in which both sides fear a full escalation but also an expensive compromise, could turn the conflict into an "endless war" in which the hard decisions are postponed again and again.

Iran, United States, Donald Trump, war with Iran

Found a language error?