The Memo: Trump’s tough talk on Iran raises big question — will the U.S. return to war?

The United States launched a fresh wave of attacks on Iran on Wednesday, marking the second successive night of offensive action.

The new strikes, which were announced in a social media post by U.S. Central Command (Centcom) shortly after 4 p.m. EDT, were far from a surprise. President Trump had told reporters earlier in the day that he would “probably” order such actions after oil tankers came under attack in the vital Strait of Hormuz, presumably by Iran.

“We’re going to hit them hard tonight,” Trump said.

Centcom described the strikes as being intended to “further degrade [Iran’s] ability to threaten freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.” The statement claimed the U.S. was “holding Iran accountable for recent unjustified aggression against commercial shipping and civilian crews freely navigating a vital international waterway.” 

The question now is whether a return to full-blown war is imminent or whether the current hostilities amount only to skirmishes that might disrupt, but not destroy, the search for a more lasting peace.

Trump is sending conflicting signals, as he often does.

Attending a NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, he contended that Iran’s actions in the Strait had essentially ended the ceasefire formalized in a controversial Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) last month.

“For me, I think it’s over,” the president said.

Trump also derided the leadership of Iran in especially vigorous terms. He described them as “scum” and “cuckoo,” and suggested their word could not be trusted. He implied they had taken advantage of an informal agreement that Washington would not target leaders of the Islamic Republic during this week’s ceremonies for the........

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