This will not be a short conflict. As one military expert has pointed out on X, the range of hardware assembled suggests ongoing air strikes on Iran supported by specialist F-16s to “take out” Iran’s defences, F-22 stealth fighters for air control and F-15E squadrons adding firepower.
And this conflict could easily spin out of control, into a regional or even global war, especially if Iran responds by blocking the Strait of Hormuz, through which 20 per cent of the world’s crude oil is transported.