'Will Slap Them A Bit': US Braces For Extended Iran War, Warns It May Last 'Days, Weeks Or Months'
'Will Slap Them A Bit': US Braces For Extended Iran War, Warns It May Last 'Days, Weeks Or Months' Published By, Last Updated: July 09
'Will Slap Them A Bit': US Braces For Extended Iran War, Warns It May Last 'Days, Weeks Or Months' Published By, Last Updated: July 09, 2026, 14:26 IST The root cause of the current escalation is the presence of radical elements inside Iran’s fractured leadership, who believe that the MoU did not have any real benefits for Tehran. Smoke rises from a port near the Strait of Hormuz, following a US strike in Kuhestak, Hormozgan Province, Iran. (Source: Reuters) Amid the escalating conflict with Iran over the Strait of Hormuz, the United States is preparing for a prolonged military campaign that could last days or even weeks, according to a report by Axios. Speaking to Axios, the US official hinted that the length and severity of the new military campaign depends entirely on the next moves of Tehran. The official said the conflict could continue for a day or two, a week or even a month, depending on whether commercial ships continue to face Iranian missile attacks in the Strait of Hormuz. “We’re going to slap them a bit so they understand we’re not f*cking around," said the US official. Iran’s Fractured Leadership Not Happy With MoU? According to the US official, the root cause of the current escalation is the presence of radical elements inside Iran’s fractured leadership, who believe that the memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed between the two countries did not have any real benefits for Tehran. Also Read: US Strikes Iran’s Chabahar Port After Trump Warns Attacks ‘Will Get Much Worse’ Iranians believed that they were losing their leverage in Hormuz as hundreds of ships passed freely through the southern route close to the Omani coast, according to the official cited by Axios.
Even after the United States waived sanctions on Iranian oil, Tehran struggled to sell it because financial institutions were not approving it, and countries were reluctant to depend on temporary waivers. The official said the US has not released Iran’s frozen funds because Iran has not yet taken any step towards denuclearisation, as mentioned in the agreement. He added that the US-brokered framework agreement signed between Israel and Lebanon had rendered the Lebanon-related provisions of the MoU unnecessary. “Part of the Iranian leadership was not happy about all of those things," said the US official. “They started shooting, and we decided it’s time to slap them back hard. It’s a process. We have patience. If we don’t feel we’re getting the deal we want, we are not going to do it," the official added. ‘Iran Ceasefire Is Over’: Trump As tensions between the United States and Iran escalated, diplomacy has taken a back seat, and military pressure is again at the centre of President Trump’s strategy. On Wednesday, Trump announced that the 60-day ceasefire outlined in the memorandum of understanding (MOU) was “over" after the two countries exchanged fire over Iranian attacks on commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz. Also Read: Iran Unleashes Suicide Drones On US Assets In Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain; Patriot System Targeted The US then launched a second wave of strikes near the Strait of Hormuz, including attacks on infrastructure inside Iran for the first time in several months. In retaliation, Iran launched attacks on US bases in Kuwait and Bahrain and said it would continue to assert its control over the Strait of Hormuz.
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