One Big Reason Iran Thinks It Has the Advantage
Iran believes it has gained diplomatic leverage despite U.S. military strikes, as much of its missile and drone capabilities remain intact. U.S. officials claim victory, but intelligence suggests Iran retains a significant portion of its weapons systems. The U.S. reportedly expended a large share of its munitions, raising concerns about sustainability in prolonged conflict.
- ▪Iran's parliamentary speaker Mohammad Ghalibaf stated Iran is not stronger than the U.S. militarily but emphasized diplomatic gains from battlefield resilience.
- ▪U.S. military operations failed to destroy Iran's full missile and drone arsenal, with estimates suggesting Iran retains at least 60% of its launchers and nearly half its ballistic missiles.
- ▪According to a CSIS report, the U.S. expended 45–60% of its Patriot interceptors, 50–80% of THAAD interceptors, and significant portions of Tomahawk and JASSM cruise missiles during the conflict.
- ▪U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth initially claimed Iran's military was rendered combat-ineffective but later acknowledged Iran is recovering and reactivating damaged systems.
- ▪The U.S. may have used nearly the same percentage of its munitions as the percentage of Iranian missiles it destroyed, affecting long-term operational capacity.
Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand
Foreign Affairs One Big Reason Iran Thinks It Has the Advantage The U.S. burned through munitions but failed to destroy Tehran’s own weapons. <div class="o-image__issue-wrapper"> <img class="o-image__image" srcset="https://tac.imgix.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/TAC_Ted_mug.jpg?auto=format&crop=faces%2Centropy&fit=crop&ixlib=php-3.3.1&w=32 32w, https://tac.imgix.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/TAC_Ted_mug.jpg?auto=format&crop=faces%2Centropy&fit=crop&ixlib=php-3.3.1&w=32 32w, https://tac.imgix.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/TAC_Ted_mug.jpg?auto=format&crop=faces%2Centropy&fit=crop&ixlib=php-3.3.1&w=32 32w,…
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