30 July 2026 · Falah Mousa
The US-Iran war will likely drag on for months and “could easily continue into 2027,” Richard Fontaine, a security expert at the Center for a New American Security (CNAS), warned. He said it could shift between “hot and cold war indefinitely,” as new strikes disrupt the fragile pause and draw more countries into the conflict.
Saudi Arabia joined US strikes on Wednesday. A drone then hit a US-owned gas facility in Egypt, while the Houthis threatened to charge tolls in the Red Sea. Washington also sanctioned Chinese companies for transporting Iranian oil, as Tehran reportedly relies on Chinese technology and Russian tactics to attack US bases.
Fontaine warned that the US needs to contain the war’s spread. Yet officials told Bloomberg that even if a deal is reached, low-level fighting could continue.
Falah Mousa 