The U.S. launched new strikes against Iran on Wednesday aimed at degrading Iran's ability to attack shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, following Trump's threats to escalate and not ruling out a ground campaign. This follows a broader escalation including a U.S. naval blockade, frozen Iranian assets, and retaliatory strikes by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps against Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait and commercial vessels in the region.

Vice Adm. Robert Murrett (Ret.), professor of practice of public administration and international affairs, tells Newsweek that he believes the conflict between the United States and Iran has “entered a new phase.” 

“This is certainly an inflection point that has transpired over the last three or four days,” he says.

In an interview with CBS News, Murrett says, “I think we're in a tit-for-tat right now, which it actually represents a new phase of the conflict between the United States and Iran. Certainly, we're on our fifth consecutive day of strikes, which seem to be getting more aggressive on both sides, both in terms of the Iranian willingness to attack just about all the Gulf States except for Saudi Arabia, which they're being careful about, and then the tiers of targets that we're going after in Iran, which could escalate even further in the days ahead.”