Washington warned Tehran it is prepared for an escalation lasting days, weeks, or even months.By World Israel News StaffThe United States is preparing for a renewed round of military confrontation with Iran following extensive overnight American airstrikes across the Islamic Republic and Iran’s retaliatory attacks on U.S. military bases in the Gulf early Thursday, according to senior U.S. officials.Speaking to Axios, a senior U.S. official said the Trump administration had grown increasingly frustrated by repeated Iranian attacks on commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz, as well as what officials view as Tehran’s unwillingness to negotiate seriously toward a lasting agreement.According to the official, Washington has decided to adopt a more forceful approach in an effort to convince Iranian leaders that continued attacks on international shipping will carry military consequences.“We’re going to slap them a bit so they understand we’re not f—ing around,” the official told the outlet.The source said the administration is prepared for the current military escalation to continue for “a day, a week, or a month,” depending on whether Iran halts attacks on commercial shipping in the strategic waterway.“They started shooting and we decided it’s time to slap them back hard,” the source added.“It’s a process. We have patience. If we don’t feel we’re getting the deal we want, we are not going to do it.”The comments come after U.S. forces carried out strikes on dozens of targets across Iran following attacks on commercial vessels traveling through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most strategically important maritime trade routes.Iran responded by launching missiles and drones at American military installations in Gulf states, further raising fears that the conflict could expand if additional retaliatory strikes follow.On Wednesday, Vice President JD Vance warned that any further Iranian attempts to disrupt shipping through the Strait of Hormuz would trigger additional American military action.“If they try to close” the Strait, “there’s going to be a response from the American military,” Vance said.“They can either follow it, or they can have exactly what happened to them last night,” he said, referring to the first round of American strikes launched after Iranian attacks on commercial shipping.The post ‘Not f—ing around’: US gearing up for new round of Iran war appeared first on World Israel News.