NextFin News - The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) have signaled a strategic shift toward a multi-week campaign to dismantle Iran’s military-industrial complex, even as U.S. President Trump maintains that the window for diplomatic reconciliation with Tehran has firmly closed. According to the Times of Israel, military planners in Tel Aviv are now budgeting for at least three additional weeks of high-intensity operations specifically designed to cripple Iran’s defense manufacturing capabilities. This extension follows the initial waves of "Operation Epic Fury," the joint U.S.-Israeli offensive launched on February 28, which has already seen nearly 2,000 targets struck across the Islamic Republic.
The conflict reached a definitive turning point following the confirmed death of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei during the opening salvos of the campaign. While global powers, particularly within the European Union and the Gulf Cooperation Council, have called for an immediate de-escalation to prevent a total collapse of regional energy markets, the White House has doubled down. U.S. President Trump stated on Sunday that any decision to conclude military actions would be a "mutual" one made in lockstep with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The administration’s refusal to entertain a ceasefire reflects a conviction that the current vacuum in Iranian leadership presents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to dictate the terms of a post-revolutionary government.
On the ground, the IDF’s focus has narrowed from broad air defense suppression to the systematic destruction of drone factories and ballistic missile assembly lines. Israeli intelligence assessments suggest that while Iran’s command structure is fractured, its "staying power"—as noted by analysts cited by Al Jazeera—remains a potent threat. Retaliatory strikes by Iranian remnants against oil infrastructure in the Strait of Hormuz have already sent Brent crude prices into a volatile spiral, testing the patience of Washington’s allies who bear the brunt of the economic fallout. The IDF’s insistence on a three-week extension suggests that the "surgical" phase of the war has ended, replaced by a war of attrition aimed at ensuring Iran cannot rearm for a decade.
The geopolitical friction is now centered on the "day after" scenario. U.S. President Trump has publicly dismissed the immediate installation of exiled figures like Reza Pahlavi, instead demanding a direct American say in the selection of Tehran’s next leadership. This stance has alienated traditional mediators who fear that a protracted U.S. occupation or a puppet regime will ignite a broader insurgency. For Israel, the calculation is simpler: the longer the conflict lasts, the more "irreversible" the damage to Iran’s nuclear and conventional reach becomes. Netanyahu’s government appears willing to endure international condemnation if the result is the total neutralization of its primary existential rival.
As the campaign enters its third week, the divergence between military objectives and global economic stability is widening. While the U.S. and Israel maintain a unified front on the necessity of the strikes, the lack of a clear exit strategy is beginning to weigh on global markets. The Trump administration’s rejection of "time for agreements" signals that the mission has evolved from a punitive strike into a fundamental restructuring of the Middle Eastern order. With the IDF now dug in for a prolonged effort to "nuis" the entirety of Iran's defense industry, the prospect of a swift resolution has been replaced by the reality of a transformative, and potentially exhausting, regional realignment.
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