war in the Middle East likely to persist says Lithuanian MP

Lithuanian lawmaker Laurynas Kasčiūnas has said the military conflict that began in the Middle East in late February is likely to last for an extended period.

The leader of the Homeland Union–Lithuanian Christian Democrats (TS–LKD) cited Iran’s attempts to disrupt global energy exports and Europe’s reluctance to join U.S.-led actions as factors prolonging the crisis.

“I believe it will definitely drag on,” Kasčiūnas told the politika.lt podcast. “The Americans would be satisfied if a new, more pliable Iranian leader emerged and agreed to remove enriched uranium and sign a peace or ceasefire deal. That would suffice for now, but Iran is playing a different game—trying to paralyse energy exports, drive up prices and create chaos in global markets to weaken the U.S. structurally.”

He noted that U.S. President Donald Trump has pressured allies to deploy naval forces to the Strait of Hormuz, a critical shipping lane handling roughly a quarter of global oil transit. European responses have been lukewarm, with some countries arguing they neither started the conflict nor can contribute meaningfully when the U.S. already commands the world’s most powerful navy.

“It looks like you started it yourself, got yourself into this mess, and now you’re asking others for help. That is not the best backdrop for cooperation,” Kasčiūnas said.

He added that while U.S. and Israeli strikes have degraded Iran’s ability to dictate regional rules, key objectives remain unmet. Iran continues to threaten Hormuz, and Washington has not confirmed whether all uranium enrichment sites have been neutralised.

“There is no victory yet,” he said. “The question now is what comes next. Some talk of a ground operation, but Trump would do everything to avoid it because of the domestic backlash and potential for high American casualties.”

Kasčiūnas stressed that any major troop deployment would likely result in significant losses, yet a ground intervention might still be necessary to secure uranium stockpiles if airstrikes or covert actions prove insufficient.