We Still Haven’t Answered the Basic Questions of the Iran War
The article argues that understanding the Iran conflict requires moving beyond simple military metrics and focusing on strategic concepts like 'center of gravity' and 'decisive points.' Iran's true strength lies in its institutions, particularly the IRGC and clerical leadership, rather than its military hardware. The U.S., meanwhile, may be vulnerable not militarily but through political and economic pressures that Iran seeks to exploit.
- ▪Carl von Clausewitz's concept of the 'center of gravity' is presented as essential for understanding Iran's sources of strength.
- ▪Iran's center of gravity is identified as its institutions, especially the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and the clerical establishment.
- ▪The article suggests that Iran views the U.S. political and economic sensitivity—such as to gas prices and market fluctuations—as America's center of gravity.
- ▪Antoine-Henri Jomini's theory of 'decisive points' is used to explain where and how strategic pressure can be applied in conflict.
- ▪Unlike conventional wars, decisive points in the Iran conflict include not only physical locations but also institutional, economic, and psychological factors.
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We Still Haven’t Answered the Basic Questions of the Iran WarThe old lessons still apply to modern war.Mark HertlingApr 29, 202630739ShareA woman walks past mockups of Iranian missiles along Valiasr Square in Tehran on April 6, 2026. (Photo by Atta Kenare / AFP via Getty Images)OCCASIONALLY, WHEN THINGS START to look a little too neat, a little too measurable, a little too certain, I like to return to an old friend for guidance. Carl von Clausewitz, the nineteenth-century Prussian officer, might be a questionable choice for insight into a twenty-first-century fight. But he wrote one of the most enduring works on military theory in the history of the world, and there’s a reason military professionals around the globe turn to him for understanding—especially about our own limits.
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Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at The Bulwark.
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