US fuels fear of prolonged conflict in Middle East

Hopes of a de-escalation of tensions in the Middle East were dashed again on Wednesday night after United States President Donald Trump announced that Iran would be hit "extremely hard over the next two to three weeks", even as he said that Washington's core objectives were "nearing completion".

In a televised address, Trump doubled down on his recent threats of bombing Iran back to "the Stone Ages" despite claiming that the country has been "eviscerated" and is no longer a threat.

Iran responded by firing more missiles at Israel and Gulf states on Thursday, demonstrating Tehran's continued ability to strike its neighbors.

In his speech, Trump called Iran the "bully of the Middle East" as he justified the ongoing war, saying it was an "investment for your children's future and your grandchildren's future".

Exhorting other nations to unblock the Strait of Hormuz, Trump said the countries that are dependent on the strait for their fuel supply must take care of the passage. "They must grab it and cherish it. They can do it easily," he said, adding, "We will be helpful, but they should take the lead in protecting the oil that they so desperately depend on."

Trump also thanked US allies in the Middle East, notably Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar and Bahrain, for their support. Oman, which was involved in negotiations with Iran before the strikes started on Feb 28, was not mentioned.

Oil rose more than 7 percent after Trump's speech. Brent crude, the international standard, jumped 7.4 percent to $108.69 per barrel.

Mehran Kamrava, a professor of government at Georgetown University in Qatar, said that Trump's speech was directed at a domestic audience to justify the length of the war on Iran, the cause of the war, and the high prices of gasoline in the US.

According to Kamrava, nothing changed with Trump's speech.

The anticipation was that the president would announce either a land invasion of Iran or a de-escalation of the conflict, "and he did neither", Kamrava said.

"The fact that he thanked Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Qatar for the assistance in the US-Israeli war on Iran only further justifies Iranian attacks on the Gulf states," Kamrava said.

He said that Trump's speech only proved Iranian claims that a significant number of US military personnel were present across the Persian Gulf, that US bases were being used in the war against Iran, and missiles were being fired at it from the UAE.

"All these claims by Iran, and now Trump's admissions that the Gulf states are helping in the war effort, give Iranians added munitions to hit targets across these countries," Kamrava said.

Trump's address to the nation came hours after Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian reaffirmed in a lengthy post on X that Iran harbors no "enmity" or "ill will" toward ordinary US citizens, Europeans, or its Gulf neighbors.

In response to Trump's claims that Tehran will agree to a deal within two to three weeks, Esmail Baghaei, Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman, said that Iran "will not tolerate this vicious cycle of war, negotiations, ceasefire, and then repeating the same pattern", Al Jazeera reported.

Baghaei said that Iran will continue to fight back for as long as US-Israeli strikes continue, but reiterated that Tehran does not regard its Gulf neighbors as "enemies" and called the conflict "catastrophic not only for Iran, but for the entire region and beyond".

"This is an unjust war that has been imposed on the Iranian people. We have no choice but to fight back strongly," he was quoted by Al Jazeera as saying.

Meanwhile, the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs reaffirmed that the Iranian community is "integral to its social fabric" amid reports that the country is barring some Iranians from entering and transiting through the country.

The UAE said it embraces the Iranian community that is respected and appreciated, forms part of its social fabric, and contributes to enhancing its diversity and openness.

Contact the writers at jan@chinadailyapac.com