The atmosphere within the Pentagon and among members of the Donald Trump administration is one of strong tension after the start of the offensive against Iran, according to a report published on Sunday (1st) by Washington Post. According to people familiar with the situation heard by the newspaper, there are fears that the conflict could get out of control and last for weeks.
“The atmosphere here is intense and paranoid,” one of the sources told the newspaper.
According to the report, military leaders are concerned about the possibility that the fighting will extend beyond a few days, putting pressure on the United States’ already limited stocks of air defense systems. One of the sources said that there is concern about the impact of the conflict on arsenalsnoting that it often takes two or three interceptors to neutralize a single enemy missile.
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The top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, Adam Smith, said the operation will require new ammunition consumption at a time when resources are already “stretched.” “It will stretch our ability to defend everything we need to defend,” he declared, describing the available means as “under pressure”.
Last week, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine reportedly warned the White House of additional risks associated with potential munitions shortages and a lack of broader military support from allies.
Although the United States maintains a strong military presence in the region, with destroyers capable of intercepting missiles, Authorities assess that Iranian Shahed-type drones pose an additional threat, as they fly low and at low speedmaking ideal interception by American systems difficult.
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Since the start of the operation, Trump has reiterated in social media posts that he is committed to a prolonged military campaign. Unlike the specific action carried out in June against Iranian nuclear facilities, the president stated that “heavy and precise” bombings will continue for days to achieve the declared objectives.
Behind the scenes of the negotiations
The offensive took place hours after public signs of continued negotiations between Washington and Tehran. A new round of talks was scheduled for this week in Geneva, and the top American diplomat would travel to the Middle East. But everything changed quickly, and shortly afterwards American forces began large-scale attacks against Iran.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated that the United States “attacked us in the middle of negotiations”. Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi, who was acting as mediator, wrote after the bombings: “I am appalled.
According to the Washington PostAmerican officials maintained that the talks were conducted in good faith and that Tehran had been warned about military movement in the region if there was no rapid progress.
A senior official told the newspaper that negotiators informed the Iranians that it would be necessary to halt uranium enrichment, offering a permanent supply of nuclear fuel in exchange. According to the report, the proposal was rejected.
The abrupt break fueled criticism that diplomacy would have been used as an instrument of pressure before military action. The American government, in turn, claims that the decision to attack was taken only after assessing that there was not enough progress in the negotiations.
