On the 22nd (local time), the 22nd day of the war due to the U.S.-Israel airstrikes on Iran, the two sides continued their battle by striking areas near each other's nuclear facilities.
While U.S. President Donald Trump has virtually taken a "last-minute notice" calling on Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz within 48 hours, some predict that the war could intensify in the future, signaling a more destructive level of retaliation.
Iran launched a missile attack on the southern Israeli city of Dimona, where its nuclear facilities are located.
It is a retaliatory attack after the United States and Israel attacked the Natanz uranium enrichment complex, their core nuclear facility.
As a result, more than 30 people were injured in Dimona, and at least 59 people were injured in the nearby town of Arad, including 13 seriously injured.
Iranian and Israeli authorities say no abnormal radioactivity levels were detected near the nuclear facility, respectively.
However, as the two sides exchange attacks on areas with nuclear facilities, the nuclear threat appears to be escalating.
Israel then immediately retaliated.
"We are carrying out airstrikes in central Tehran targeting the Iranian terrorist regime," the Israeli military said in a statement early Tuesday, hours after the shooting of the southern city of Dimona.
The U.S. called on Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, even mentioning the possibility of 'devastating'.
"If Iran does not fully open the Strait of Hormuz within 48 hours of this point without any threat, the United States will attack and devastate various power plants in Iran, starting with the largest power plant," Trump said on social media Truth Social.
As Iran effectively blocked the Strait of Hormuz, a key oil trading hub, and international oil prices continued to soar, it is putting intense pressure on Iran to expand its hit to its national infrastructure.
There are reports that the U.S. military has decided to send additional Marines to the Middle East and has begun internal preparations for the possibility of sending ground troops.
President Trump met with reporters at the White House on the 19th and said, "I will not send troops (ground forces) anywhere," but added, "If I do, of course I will not tell you (journalists)."
Iran plans to respond to attacks by the U.S. and Israel with more serious retaliation.
"Iran has now changed its military policy from the principle of 'an eye for an eye' and will respond to any aggression from its adversaries with more serious consequences," an Iranian military spokesman said in a semi-official Tasnim news agency on the 22nd.
"If the adversary attacks one infrastructure, we will retaliate against several facilities," the Iranian military added, according to Russia's TASS news agency.
Some point out that Iran's missile threat has become even greater than before.
Earlier on the morning of the 20th, Iran launched a ballistic missile at a joint British-American military base in the Indian Ocean, Diego Garcia, 4,000 kilometers from the mainland.
This is the first time that a mid-range ballistic missile with a range of 4,000 kilometers has been confirmed in Iran, and analysts say that Iran, which has limited its range to 2,000 kilometers, has exceeded the upper limit.
Bloomberg said it was not clear whether Iran had an additional 4,000km of intermediate-range ballistic missiles, but analyzed that the launch meant that major Western European cities such as London, the United Kingdom, and Paris, France could fall within the scope of Iran's attacks.
In addition, there is a prospect that the war could expand further in the future if the Iranian-backed Yemeni Houthi rebels participate in the war in earnest.
The Houthi rebels can further raise the spark of war by helping Iran to carry out all-round military actions, such as disrupting ships in the region and striking energy facilities in the Gulf.
Iran is also continuing attacks on neighboring Gulf states.
Saudi Arabia's Defense Ministry said it detected three missiles flying toward the capital, Riyadh, one of which intercepted but the other two landed in a non-residential area.
#Trump #US #Iran #MiddleState #Hormuz
Kim Seungjun (antolos@ikbc.co.kr )
The Middle East is becoming increasingly chaotic.
The level of war is getting higher,
Trump doesn't seem to have a particular solution.
You can see in real time what happens if you fail to stop an irresponsible leader from starting a war.
