Iran launched drone attacks against a US military base in Bahrain on Sunday, adding to mounting tensions even as Washington signals a reluctance to escalate.
US President Donald Trump has told senior advisers he may hold off on striking Iran if the US faces no new provocations, Reuters reported.
Yet American military assets continue to flow into the region, while three oil tankers caught fire over the weekend after hitting naval mines in the Strait of Hormuz.
With mediation stalled, continued tit-for-tat attacks raise the risk that limited exchanges could spiral into a wider war: “The current situation in the Strait of Hormuz is inherently unstable and cannot be sustained indefinitely,” an Israeli analyst wrote on X.
— Lauren Morganbesser