What military capabilities does Iran possess as it negotiates with US?
Tehran, Iran – Iranian officials are in Qatar for mediated talks with the United States, more than four months after the US and Israel launched
Tehran, Iran – Iranian officials are in Qatar for mediated talks with the United States, more than four months after the US and Israel launched heavy air attacks across Iran. The negotiations in Doha come after the June 17 signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between Iran and the US to end the war, which, in turn, has been followed by limited exchanges of fire and repeated threats of reignited conflict. Israel appears most eager to resume large-scale military strikes against Iran and its infrastructure, with Defence Minister Israel Katz saying on Monday that targets are already selected and the army awaits an order to deploy fighter jets. According to Israeli media, Katz told reporters that the war could immediately resume if US President Donald Trump decides the negotiations with Iran – which Israel vehemently opposes – will not yield results, or if Iran attacks Israel. Katz said Mojtaba Khamenei, who was selected as Iran’s supreme leader after his father Ali Khamenei was killed at the start of the war on February 28 but has not been seen publicly, is “marked for death”. Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi responded on Wednesday, saying that “any threat against our people and leadership will receive immediate powerful response”. So if the war does fire back up, what’s the status of Iran’s military capabilities after months of asymmetric warfare against powers with more advanced weaponry? What was degraded after thousands of strikes? In fewer than 40 days of intense attacks, the US military said it struck more than 13,000 targets in Iran, while the Israeli army reported launching approximately 10,800 strikes hitting some 4,000 targets. In addition to targeting senior officials and commanders, the US and Israel attacked Iran’s ballistic and cruise missile and drone capabilities, as well as its defence-industrial base, air defences, command and communications hubs. Naval systems, coastal radars and nuclear facilities were also struck. But the killing of much of the command structure did not collapse the system or prevent Iran from launching military strikes across the region. Iranian authorities have refrained from releasing any official information about the extent of damage sustained by the military sector, but satellite images, verified footage from strikes and local reports indicate a systematic campaign aimed at degrading Iran’s capabilities. Many big and small missile and drone manufacturing, storage and launch sites were targeted above ground and underground, as were fixed and mobile air defence systems guarding sensitive sites, and production chains making propellant motors and components for precision-targeting systems, among others.
The BriefWire