WASHINGTON, Jul 26 (APP):US President Donald Trump has temporarily paused plans to expand military strikes against Iran due to warnings from military advisers regarding depleted regional defense stockpiles, according to a report from The New York Times.
The decision follows concerns over dwindling munitions supplies and the potential for a wider regional conflict, it was pointed out.
The shrinking stockpile of Patriot anti-missile interceptors and other defensive armaments adds to the risks of escalation for President Trump, the Times said.
Other concerns for the administration, the newspaper cited the people briefed on the matter, include the possibility of stirring a broader Middle East War, the estrangement of vulnerable Gulf allies and the prospect of further global economic shock.
While some fronts were quiet, tensions still simmered in the region after Ukraine hit an Iranian cargo ship in the Caspian Sea and a militia in Yemen said it had attacked energy facilities in Saudi Arabia.
Ukraine said it had struck a cargo vessel moving military supplies between Iran and Russia in the Caspian Sea. Iran’s foreign ministry confirmed that it was an Iranian vessel, and that one crew member was killed in the strike and another wounded. The Caspian Sea, which borders Iran, has long served as a secure conduit for Iranian weapons, the Times said, citing Western intelligence assessments.
Also, in the Red Sea, a spokesman for Saudi-led forces operating in Yemen said they had attacked Houthi military targets on Saturday. The Houthis, a Yemeni militia backed by Iran, said they had fired rockets and drones at energy facilities in two areas along Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea coast.
A video clip circulating on social media Saturday and verified by The New York Times showed plumes of smoke coming from the direction of the Saudi Aramco refinery in Jazan, Saudi Arabia. The Saudi authorities did not immediately respond to a request for comment or provide further details.
The Houthis declared a maritime blockade on Saudi vessels this week, adding pressure on global oil prices. Although some tankers made it through, the militia has fired on passing ships.
The apparent pause in fighting hardly soothed fears that the situation could deteriorate, the newspaper said.
In recent days, it said, the Pentagon has rushed more forces, weapons and supplies to the region to prepare for any escalation. The U.S. military has also damaged or destroyed an increasing number of railway bridges that civilians use but that also allow Iranian forces to flow supplies to the southern coastal region near the strait.
Some officials also reportedly questioned whether a broader bombing campaign would push Tehran back to negotiations, warning that further strikes could instead strengthen internal cohesion in Iran.
Trump’s advisers have instead urged him to continue negotiations, maintain a naval blockade and increase economic pressure on Tehran for a longer period, according to the newspaper.
These considerations arrive just days before Trump is set to meet Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. His visit, on Tuesday, will be the first since Netanyahu argued in February for a joint U.S.-Israeli offensive against Iran, which began weeks later.
