The US-Iran war will likely drag on for months, analysts predicted, as new strikes disrupted a tenuous pause and the conflict widened.
Hostilities “could easily continue into 2027,” security expert Richard Fontaine wrote, oscillating between “hot and cold war indefinitely.” The US needs to contain its spread, he warned, as more countries are ensnared: After Saudi Arabia joined US strikes Wednesday, a drone hit a US-owned gas facility in Egypt, while the Houthis threatened to charge tolls in the Red Sea.
Meanwhile, Washington sanctioned Chinese companies for transporting Iranian oil, as Tehran reportedly leans on Chinese tech and Russian tactics to attack US bases. Even if a deal is reached, “low level” fighting could continue, officials told Bloomberg.