Iran appears to be targeting what it views as American vulnerabilities, including air defenses meant to guard troops and assets in the region.
The Iranian military is adjusting its tactics as the U.S.-Israeli bombing campaign progresses, senior U.S. defense officials said, even as the Trump administration insists that the United States is winning the war.
In the 11 days since the conflict began, Iran has targeted key American air defense and radar systems in the region, according to U.S. military officials and military experts.
Iranian-backed militias have attacked hotels frequented by American troops. One militia in Iraq launched a drone swarm attack on an upscale hotel in Erbil, demonstrating that Iran was aware that the Pentagon was housing troops in hotels in the region, a senior U.S. military official said.
He and two other officials said that Iran appeared to have accepted that it could not match the United States and Israel on pure firepower. But by simply surviving the barrage, the officials said, the government in Tehran can claim victory.
I agree with the outcome, but not the reasoning.
The US has no planned victory condition, no strategic plan, they’re just kinda bombing things semi-randomly with no long-term goal.
Iran, meanwhile, has a specific actionable plan: cause enough damage to turn public opinion against the war hard enough so even Trump can’t ignore it.
In short, the US can’t win because they haven’t even defined what winning means.