Iran Locks Horns with The United States

With day ten of the war in Iran passing, the full picture of the conflict and its global ramifications is starting to emerge. The situation in Iran has been dominated by the United States and Israel up to this point. The U.S. alone has launched over 5,000 airstrikes so far and today is one of the more aggressive days of their campaign. The Iranian Navy has been almost completely destroyed, and many officials at the higher levels of government have been killed. The Trump administration claims that Iran’s ability to fire ballistic missiles has been reduced by 90%, and they are having great success intercepting the missiles Iran has launched. Looking back at the last ten days, the war has been going very well for the United States.

Looking forward, there are a few more questions, as Iran is starting to play to its strengths. Iran does not have to win an outright military conflict to achieve victory. All the Iranian regime must do to achieve a strategic victory is survive the attacks. This is certainly not an easy task with the combined might of the United States and Israel coming down upon them, but the geography of the country is helpful. Iran is mostly mountainous, and the Iranians have taken advantage of that fact, building entire cities deep into the rock where they are almost surely protected from any airstrike. Also, the geographic region has come into play and puts crushing pressure on their attackers. The Strait of Hormuz is just to the south of the country, and since the beginning of the attacks, Iran has essentially closed the strait to only a fraction of its usual traffic. Oil tankers will not go through the strait, causing the price of global oil to spike and putting the global economy in a very pressing situation.

Their next advantage is the size of their country and the security apparatus that has been installed. The IRGC alone has the ability to activate over 200,000 soldiers. This standing army is very large, highly coordinated, and loyal to the Ayatollah, making it a major threat. This force is also nearly impossible to destroy through airstrikes alone, as it is integrated with local governmental structures such as police and other law enforcement. Iran is not simply a desert country; it is a functional nation and remains so even as the devastation continues. Not to be left out are the ballistic missiles and attack drones that have been flying around the Middle East over the last ten days, striking targets throughout the region and killing seven Americans so far.

The United States and Israel are doing everything they can to eliminate these threats as quickly as possible. Today they have even increased the airstrikes, but a war of attrition does not suit the

Strait of Hormuz on 4 March Credit: Pole Star Globa

United States. Even though the U.S. is willing to provide escorts through the Strait of Hormuz and insure the tankers, this has not encouraged enough ships to travel through, which also clogs up supply as oil drilling slows when it cannot be transported. This is putting significant pressure on the global economy, and many countries are becoming concerned. A prolonged closure of the strait is not in America’s interest, so they will eventually be forced to either escalate the situation or draw down operations and look for an off-ramp.

This may prove to be a difficult decision, as there has been continued inconsistency in the administration’s messaging. Secretary of State Rubio has called these only “operations,” while many, including Donald Trump, refer to it as a war and are calling for unconditional surrender. No member of the administration, however, has been able to articulate a plan or timeline for ending the war or addressing what will come next for such a large and populous country, leaving many very concerned.

With the installation of the son of the previous Ayatollah, Mojtaba Khamenei, it is unlikely that the new regime will be willing to enter into any form of negotiation with the United States soon. And with

Installation Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei March 8th 2026

some rallying of Iranian civilians behind their government as they are bombed continuously-and as mistakes happen, such as the United States accidentally hitting a school next to an army base-this war seems to be at a critical choke point.

We are focused on achieving strategic victory in a dominant fashion and will stop at nothing before our goals are achieved and We've done what we needed to .

Was there any plan ever? This is turning into a disaster right before our eyes, but buckle up I'm sure it will get even more fun and many more people will die, all for what??? More expensive gas?

The Trump administration is flailing around saying a bunch of different things about this war that they started illegally. I'm not fully against this at all but if this turns out to be what it looks like it's going to be then we are going to beat them over the head with it.

My gas is more expensive and that means everything is going to be more expensive. I can't even find Iran on a map, but this is really starting to get annoying.