President Donald Trump‘s war with Iran has hit its one-month anniversary and it appears the conflict is sprawling with the entry of the Houthis into the fray.
The militia group launched attacks March 28 against Israeli targets without any casualties while an attack by Iranian forces on a U.S. base in Saudi Arabia the day before left 12 troops injured. That strike at Prince Sultan Air Base left two U.S. service members seriously hurt, according to reports by Reuters, CBS News and The New York Times.
U.S. and Israeli forces have also bombarded Iran and aimed much of their combined firepower at the theocratic regime’s oil and steel infrastructure, which are considered vital to its economy. American officials are now weighing adding about 10,000 more troops to the Middle East as some speculate a ground invasion could be coming.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters on March 27 the U.S. will not need ground troops to win the war, but that the military must give the president “maximum opportunity” should things change.
“This is not going to be a prolonged conflict,” he said.
Roughly 1,500 civilians have been killed in Iran alone, according to The Human Rights Activists News Agency.
More than 300 U.S. military service members have been wounded since the war began Feb. 28, but officials have said 273 of them had already returned to duty. Thirteen U.S. service members have been killed.
Politically speaking most voters in the U.S. oppose the war, polls show, and Trump’s decision to enter this conflict has divided much of his Make America Great Again base.
But some of his strongest supporters are reversing course on earlier comments to oppose foreign wars and are now urging conservatives to stand by the president even as most voters oppose the war.
Follow along with USA TODAY for the latest updates.
Jay Stahl
Steve Bannon, the former White House adviser to President Donald Trump, has suggested the Iran war is just starting, previewing a potential future for the conflict.
The ultraconservative figure told attendees March 27 at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Grapevine, Texas outside of Dallas that the “decision in going forward is obviously” at the discretion of Trump but told attendees that “people got to have his back.”
“You have to be convinced that this is the right thing to do, particularly now that we’re on the eve of potentially the insertion of American combat troops,” Bannon said. “Your sons, daughters, granddaughters, grandsons could be on Kharg Island or be holding a beachhead down by the Strait of Hormuz.”
Phillip M. Bailey
One development to keep an eye on is the role Pakistan, a U.S. ally, has been playing as a mediator.
Pakistani officials have reportedly been speaking with more than 20 world leaders.
The foreign nation has plenty of reasons to get involved. It shares a roughly 560-mile border with Iran and has its own energy crisis due to the rising price of oil.
But it’s proximity to Iran and longstanding ties to the U.S. could make it a key to ending the war. Pakistan has reportedly been relaying messages between the U.S. and Iran, and will host talks with several foreign ministers including ones from Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Egypt.
Phillip M. Bailey
It’s been a month since President Donald Trump joined Israel in its war against Iran, which continues to poll badly among average Americans.
Trump says there are “very strong talks” are underway but more strikes over the weekend demonstrate it is much easier to start a conflict than end one in the Middle East. Roughly 2,500 Marines from the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit were sent to the region on March 27, for example.
“I don’t think it will ever be over,” Brenna Boyde , an independent voter in Darlington Township, Pennsylvania told USA TODAY. “I’m not inclined to believe there is a permanent resolution.”The war’s unpopularity is being fueled by higher gas prices and a shakier stock market, with some seeing $4 a gallon.
Republican Justin Thaemert, who lives in central Minnesota, said that’s up by about a dollar compared when the fighting first started. He says the grocery bill has risen by an extra $300 a month, too.
“It’s disappointing. It’s hard for me to tell what the truth is now,” Thaemert said. “Everyone wants to spin their own narrative about what’s going on.”
Phillip M. Bailey
The Houthis, an Iranian-backed militant in Yemen, have joined the fighting after launching a ballistic missile attack Saturday against Israel.
Tahya Saree, a military spokesman for the group, said in a video statement that the attacks will continue “until the aggression ends against all the fronts of the resistance.”
This opens a new front in Trump’s war in the Middle East.
The Houthis are Shiite militants and are part of Iran’s larger network controlling much of Yemen. Their entry into the conflict represents an escalation that could further destabilize the region and global markets, observers note.