‘Operation Epic Fury or Epic Failure’: Brahma Chellaney says Trump’s desperation is visible

Iran war: If history has a lesson to offer, it is that wars tend to expand longer when leaders claim they are winding down, said geostrategist Brahma Chellaney. In a recent post, Chellaney said Donald Trump, despite boasting of devastating Iran, was visibly desperate.

“With his “Operation Epic Fury” at risk of becoming Operation Epic Failure, Trump’s desperation is increasingly visible,” said Chellaney. The geostrategist said that despite announcing that the war was pretty much complete, Trump had to strike the military targets at Iran’s oil-export hub, Kharg Island. 

“And by moving Marine expeditionary forces into the Gulf for a potential landing on Iranian territory, he has taken the very step that once dragged the US into a long ground war in Vietnam, ending in defeat,” he said that the Vietnam War taught that incremental escalation could quietly turn a limited intervention into an open-ended war.

“In fact, wars have a habit of expanding precisely when leaders claim they are winding down,” noted Chellaney.

The geostrategist’s remarks come after Trump said the US strikes have ‘totally demolished’ most of Kharg Island. He warned of additional strikes. "We may hit it a few more times just for fun,” said Trump to NBC News. 

The US stated that its strikes targeted military sites rather than the energy industry on the island, which is located about 15 miles off Iran's coastline in the Gulf. US Central Command reported hitting over 90 locations on Kharg Island, including naval mine storage facilities, missile storage bunkers, and other military targets

Meanwhile, Iran downplayed the extent of damage on Kharg Island. Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi warned that the country would respond to any attacks on its energy infrastructure.

On Saturday, Iran's Ministry of Defense announced the launch of nine ballistic missiles and 33 drones towards the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Iran also advised residents to evacuate areas near Jebel Ali port in Dubai, Khalifa port in Abu Dhabi, and Fujairah port in the UAE. Additionally, Iran said it was targeting branches of US banks in the Gulf region. Fujairah, located outside the Strait of Hormuz, serves as the outlet for about 1 million barrels per day of the UAE's Murban crude oil, which accounts for roughly 1 per cent of global demand.