New attacks in the Middle East. The US military warns Hegseth: “An unsustainable pace”

The conflict between the United States and Iran, now in its sixth month, is entering a new phase of tension and attrition. The Trump administration has confirmed an attack on Iranian targets in the Strait of Hormuz: forces in Tehran were preparing to launch rockets from Larak Island to scatter naval mines along the trade route. There had been no American attacks on Iran for almost a month.

Washington claims to have acted to prevent a further disruption to maritime traffic, after removing mines that had been lying in the waters of the Gulf for weeks: “The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of Iran claimed that the attacks carried out by US forces to prevent them from laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz constituted an ‘act of aggression’. ‘This claim is completely false,’ wrote US Central Command on its X account, adding that the US action was ‘a limited and precise operation against Pasdaran units engaged in laying mines, which posed an imminent threat in the Strait of Hormuz’. This action is a direct consequence of Donald Trump’s statements, in which he had repeatedly emphasised that any Iranian attempt to lay new mines would be “immediately and systematically destroyed”. 

U.S. military strategy in the Middle East remains unchanged: sustained military pressure. Over 50,000 American troops remain deployed in the region, many of whom are involved in the naval blockade imposed on the Islamic Republic to force it to reopen the Strait and accept U.S. conditions for an agreement to end hostilities.

But whilst the White House insists on the need to keep up the pressure, the US military is showing clear signs of strain. The Washington Post has revealed that commanders from various branches of the armed forces — the Army, Navy, Air Force and the heads of regional commands in Europe, Asia and Latin America — have warned Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth that the current operational pace is “unsustainable”. 

According to the document, the Navy is under the greatest pressure: only a quarter of its destroyers are currently ready for deployment, a sharp decline compared with pre-war levels. The constant demands for ships to carry out the initial assault, defend against Iranian counter-attacks and enforce the naval blockade have extended the missions of crews and units by months. The Army and the Air Force, whilst agreeing on the need to continue operations, have also highlighted significant risks: the 82nd Airborne Division will see its mission extended by up to a year, with a heavy impact on the families of service personnel. 

The picture that emerges is that of a war with no clear way out. Iran, whilst weakened, retains the capacity to strike US bases in the region: an attack in Jordan killed three US soldiers, triggering a spiral of raids and counter-raids. A base in the United Arab Emirates, where US forces are stationed, has also been hit. Tehran insists on controlling traffic through the Strait, whilst Trump alternates between threats of escalation — “1,000 missiles are ready”, he wrote — and overtures towards negotiation.

The crisis, therefore, is not merely military but strategic: the United States is seeking to impose conditions that Iran will not accept, whilst senior military leaders warn that the American war machine is reaching its limits. This combination is making the conflict increasingly unstable and its outcome increasingly uncertain.