As signals of a ‘massive’ US attack mount, experts skeptical it will break Iran - The Hill

What the report says

The Hill reported that President Trump is weighing a major escalation against Iran as U.S. military activity in the region grows, but several experts doubt a broader air campaign would force Tehran to change course. The article, published July 25, says Trump met Friday with his national security team to review military options and told reporters the U.S. was still in contact with Iran while also being “locked and loaded” if he chose to act.

Sina Azodi of George Washington University told The Hill that more bombing would not alter Iran’s view of the conflict as a matter of survival and could further damage prospects for diplomacy. A former senior U.S. intelligence official also argued that airstrikes alone are unlikely to produce a ceasefire without sustained economic and maritime pressure, including efforts tied to the Strait of Hormuz. The Hill cited a Washington Post report saying a new U.S. intelligence assessment reached a similar view.

The report said U.S. officials are also planning, with the U.K., a conference on protecting shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. The Hill reported that U.S. forces have recently targeted Iranian command, communications, drone, missile, coastal surveillance and maritime sites, and that Iran has retaliated with missiles and drones against Jordan, Kuwait and Bahrain, including an attack that killed three U.S. service members at Muwaffaq Salti Air Base.

The developments matter because they suggest Washington is considering whether military pressure can secure concessions on Iran’s nuclear program and regional activity, even as analysts warn the available options carry high risks and uncertain diplomatic payoff.