WITH the passage of every day, the war in the Gulf is assuming dangerous dimensions as the two sides have started attacks on regional infrastructure, expanding the sphere of the war and sending shockwaves across the globe. The United States escalated its renewed bombing campaign on Iran on Friday by hitting bridges and an airport and Tehran responded with strikes on US bases across the Middle East. The US military’s Central Command included “military logistics infrastructure” in the list of targets it said it had struck in its latest attacks on Iran, the first time it has mentioned infrastructure in more than a week. Iranian state media said at least five bridges had been struck in the south.
US President Donald Trump has threatened to launch broad-based air strikes on Iran’s infrastructure and has also declined to rule out a ground assault on Iran’s coast or islands. US officials have said attacks on southern Iran are designed in part to give Trump options. But such moves risk provoking Iran to escalate in turn by hitting the infrastructure of neighbouring countries or further disrupt energy supplies by having its allies in Yemen attack shipping from the Red Sea. The targeted attacks on the infrastructure of the Gulf countries have implications not only for their economies and people but also other countries. Bahrain and Kuwait both reported strikes against their territories on Friday by Iran, with Bahrain saying that their air defences managed to intercept aerial attacks and Kuwait reporting damage on a desalination plant. One of Kuwait’s power generation and water desalination stations was hit in an Iranian attack, causing damage to facilities, a fire and the disruption of a large number of electricity generation units. An Advisor to Iran’s Supreme Leader warned on Friday that if American attacks continued for several more days, ‘we will move into a phase of full-scale offensive operations’. In a related development, Iran has already instructed the Houthis to act if Washington attacks Iran’s infrastructure and Houthis have said they will fulfill commands of Iran’s Supreme Leader. Involvement of Houthis will have consequences for Saudi Arabia, which might be forced to retaliate and such a situation might compel decision-makers in Pakistan to review their policy. The two sides should listen to the impassioned call by Pakistan and China for a ceasefire and resumption of the dialogue.
