US threats to 'bomb' Iran back fuel fear

Hopes of a de-escalation of tensions in the Middle East were dashed again on Wednesday 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 prime-time address from the White House on Wednesday, Trump doubled down by threatening to bomb 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 the 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 is 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 Feb 28 strikes, 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, told China Daily that Trump's speech was intended to justify the length of the war on Iran to a domestic audience, as well as the cause of the war, and the high gasoline prices in the US. Kamrava noted that nothing changed with Trump's speech, saying there had been anticipation 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."

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 of these claims, by Iran, and now Trump's admissions that the Persian Gulf states are helping in the war effort," 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, Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei told Al Jazeera that Iran "will not tolerate this vicious cycle of war, negotiations, ceasefire, and then repeating the same pattern". He said that Iran will continue to fight back for as long as US-Israeli strikes continue, but reiterated that Tehran did not regard its Gulf neighbors as "enemies", calling 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," Baghaei said.

Contact the writers at jan@chinadailyapac.com