- War expected to end in weeks has lasted 15 weeks with no conclusion reached
- A fragile ceasefire is in place, though Trump has repeatedly claimed a deal is near
- US consumers have paid $58 billion due to high energy prices linked to the war
The war that US President Donald Trump thought would end in four to five weeks has crossed its 15th week without reaching any conclusion. After a week of full-blown strikes, the war is in the middle of a fragile ceasefire, as Trump said that the deal is near. What makes this ceasefire fragile is the fact that this is the 39th time that Trump said the same thing. In fact, on average, Trump said that the deal is 'near' almost once every three days.
While Iran and the Middle East are paying a heavy price for the loss of men and material, the US, too, is paying a fortune to continue the war. American consumers have already paid nearly USD 58 billion just to compensate for high energy prices, according to Brown University. This means $441 per US household.
The intensity of this war is clearly understood by the fact that despite 60 per cent of the war tenure, there has been a fragile ceasefire. The remaining 40 per cent of days saw a massive 5,034 strike events across 12 countries. These include Iran, Iraq, Israel, Lebanon, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Bahrain, Qatar, UAE, Kuwait and Jordan.
Countries that were counted among the safest in the world have been sending incoming missile alerts since the end of February. Of the 5,034 strikes, 3,242 strikes have been recorded under the joint US-Israel operation "Epic Fury". Iranian forces carried out another 1,792 strikes in the same period.
The conflict began with an intense initial phase, with over 1,000 targets hit in the opening wave. Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was reportedly killed during these early strikes.
On June 12 alone, US-Israel forces carried out 32 strikes impacting 32 locations, while Iran launched 12 strikes affecting 11 locations. These attacks were spread across six countries, including Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and areas near the Strait of Hormuz.
Nevertheless, the current 'Deal Soon' moment by Trump brings some hope as Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi has also said that a ceasefire deal with the US has 'never been closer'.
