Report Warns: Iran is Weary but Still 'Deadly'

SadaNews - The American newspaper The Wall Street Journal confirmed in a report titled "Weary Iran Still Capable of Launching a Deadly Response to American Strikes" that the Israeli strikes targeting Iran during the June war last year did not destroy all of its military capabilities, and that Iran still has a "deadly" ability to respond to any military escalation.

Reporters from the newspaper, Lawrence Norman from Berlin and Dov Lieber from Tel Aviv, began their report by presenting the key figures of Tehran's arsenal, noting that Tehran possesses about 2,000 medium-range ballistic missiles capable of reaching Israel.

The report added that Iran has large stocks of short-range missiles capable of targeting American bases in the Gulf and ships in the Strait of Hormuz.

"Iran has enough short-range missiles to strike American bases in the Gulf with an intensity that our defenses and those of the Gulf states may be unable to counter entirely,"

The Wall Street Journal report also mentioned Tehran's abundant stockpiles of anti-ship cruise missiles and torpedo boats, as well as a large number of drones that pose a threat to American ships, according to the reporters' estimates.

According to the American newspaper, this diversity in capabilities enables Iran to strike multiple targets simultaneously, increasing the risk of escalation if President Donald Trump decides to resort to military options.

Daniel Shapiro, the former U.S. ambassador to Israel, warned that "Iran has enough short-range missiles to strike American bases in the Gulf with an intensity that our defenses and those of the Gulf states may be unable to counter entirely," according to the report.

Expected Targets

The report indicated that the United States has bolstered its military presence in the region by sending the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln and additional aircraft, while Iranian officials warned of a strong response to any attack, with allied factions to Tehran in Iraq announcing their readiness to participate in any confrontation.

According to the newspaper, U.S. forces are spread across about 8 or 9 major bases in the region, housing between 30,000 to 40,000 soldiers, and the report quoted U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio as saying that all these forces are "within range of thousands of Iranian drones and short-range ballistic missiles."

Military experts speculated that Tehran would direct its fire towards American targets closest to its shores, utilizing its stock of short-range missiles in strikes that could also target Gulf countries allied with Washington, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Air Defense Warfare

According to the newspaper, the United States possesses Patriot and THAAD air defense systems deployed in the region, which are being reinforced with additional systems. However, the vast geography that needs protection may allow a percentage of Iranian missiles to hit their targets, according to defense experts' assessments.

The report highlighted the lessons Tehran learned from the June war, where it fired 550 missiles toward Israel, with about 86% of them intercepted by American and Israeli defense systems, showcasing the limits of these systems in responding to massive and extended attacks.

The newspaper confirmed that this war allowed Iran to develop its military strategies regarding the timing of launches, the distribution of launch platforms, and the expansion of target ranges, which increases the chances of penetrating air defenses in any future confrontation.

However, conversely, the previous war also demonstrated Israel's capability to cripple Iranian air defenses within the first 24 hours, leaving the skies completely open for American and Israeli fighters to strike any targets that weaken Tehran’s ability to continue fighting, which could be repeated in any future military escalation, according to the report.

The Wall Street Journal concluded that Iran, despite the losses it incurred, still retains a military capability based on missile response, which could transform any limited future military confrontation into a broad, multi-front conflict.

Source: The Wall Street Journal