Joe Biden has promised the US will “reply” to the assault on Tower 22, which left three US navy personnel lifeless and dozens wounded.

The issue is that the US has already been responding to assault after assault on its bases within the Center East – and has however failed to discourage them.

There have been greater than 160 thus far.

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And the US has retaliated to these – the graphic under reveals their assaults since 27 October.

They already embrace strikes in opposition to bases operated by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) – the regime’s strongest navy pressure – slightly than proxy militias.

Defence and safety analyst Professor Michael Clarke mentioned: “What the People have been attempting to do was be very graduated of their response – all the time to answer particular person assaults with one other retaliation on the place the place the assault got here from.

“It clearly has led the Iranians to really feel that they’ll carry on pushing America. So, I believe the actual fact American service personnel have been killed has crossed a line.

“The People now have gotten to resolve if they should take a step up by way of their response.”

Would a response that included sanctions or maybe a cyberattack actually be a step up?

Many Iranian officers are already below sanctions and there may be home strain on Mr Biden to go additional.

Professor Clarke means that another choice could be to focus on Iranian ships within the Pink Sea and connecting waters: “The People would possibly regard that as a smart goal since they’re all a part of the Iran’s makes an attempt to create a disaster for America.”

IRGC quick boats function usually within the Strait of Hormuz and have seized oil tankers previously.

Earlier this month, Iran additionally introduced that its warship Alborz, a frigate, had entered the Pink Sea.

There’s additionally the Behshad.

The ship formally carries cargo however navy analysts say it carries out surveillance that has been very important for all of the Houthi assaults – one other Iranian-backed militia that varieties a part of the identical so-called “axis of resistance”.

These could be Iranian belongings, however nonetheless outdoors Iran. Additional up the escalation ladder could be an assault on Iranian territory itself.

That might be restricted to the coast, maybe. Or they may strike the inside – maybe even on nuclear amenities.

That’s the very prime of the ladder – and the US wouldn’t begin there, if solely to present itself room to climb sooner or later.

On Monday, Iran’s overseas ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani mentioned that his nation “doesn’t welcome the growth of conflicts within the area”.

And Mr Biden mentioned on Tuesday that “we do not want a wider warfare within the Center East” however he had selected an unspecified response.

Others would argue that, with the loss of life of US navy personnel, the broader warfare is already right here.