The conflict between US and Israel on one side and Iran on the other has crossed the two-week mark, and peace remains nowhere in sight with both Washington and Tel Aviv indicating that fighting will rage on for at least a few more weeks.
Meanwhile, trade through the crucial Strait of Hormuz has come to an effective halt, pushing up energy prices around the world.
‘Weeks’ of fighting left
Donald Trump administration officials on Sunday (local time) indicated that they expected the war with Iran to end within weeks or “sooner”.
While Energy Secretary Chris Wright said on ABC that he expected the conflict to come to an end “in the next few weeks” or “sooner than that”, Kevin Hassett, Trump’s economic advisor, said that Operation Epic Fury was running “ahead of schedule”.
Comments by the Trump administration official echo those of the Israeli military, which told cnn that it plans for at least three more weeks of fighting in Iran.
Strait of Hormuz in focus
Given the effective halt of trade through the Strait of Hormuz, the strategic waterway through which a significant chunk of energy trade takes place has been in focus.
Trump over the weekend indicated that the US would not only assist ships in navigating the strait, but also claimed that navies of other nations would join in to ensure that trade continues uninterrupted.
