Iran remains a stubborn foe after absorbing massive US-Israeli attacks
Why it matters: Iran's continued attacks wound U.S. troops and send energy prices soaring by strangling the Strait of Hormuz.
- U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth declared Iran's military "neutralized" and its ballistic missile attacks down 90% since the conflict began, a claim echoed by President Donald Trump who stated Iran has been "decimated."
- Gen. Dan Caine, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, reported an 86% drop in ballistic missile shots and a 73% decrease in one-way attack drone shots by March 4.
- Iran continues to launch missiles into Israeli airspace, kill civilians, and use cheap drones to wound U.S. troops and shatter the image of invincibility among Gulf Arab nations, according to the AP.
- Iran's threats to attack oil and gas tankers are strangling the Strait of Hormuz, causing energy prices to soar.
- Kelly Grieco, a senior fellow at the Stimson Center, explains that Iran's strategy is to cause "sustained pain" and drive up war costs for the U.S. to gain leverage for negotiations.
- Independent data from ACLED corroborates a slowdown in Iranian strikes, noting a drop from nearly 100 strikes on March 1 to around 53 in the following days.
Despite claims from the U.S. and Israel that Iran's military capabilities have been "obliterated" and its missile strikes significantly reduced, Iran remains a persistent threat, continuing to launch attacks that cause regional chaos and economic shock. While U.S. officials like Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Gen. Dan Caine cite steep drops in Iranian missile and drone activity, experts like Kelly Grieco note Iran's strategy is to inflict sustained pain to pressure Washington into negotiations.
