AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): W.J. Hennigan, an American analyst, has criticized the performance of the United States in the war with Iran and emphasized that this war, despite Washington's overwhelming military and technological superiority on the battlefield, revealed the limitations of America's military power and led to a strategic defeat.
Hennigan, writing in an article in The New York Times, where he specializes in national security and foreign policy, wrote that Donald Trump, the U.S. president, had declared a few days after the start of the war against Iran that Washington was on the verge of achieving a decisive victory. But the results three months later fell far short of the stated objectives.
Heavy Costs Without Achieving Main Goals
The author says that the war resulted in the deaths of 13 Americans and thousands of Iranians, and cost at least $29 billion from American public funds, but Washington was unable to overthrow Iran's government, destroy its nuclear program, or completely neutralize its missile and drone capabilities.
He attributes this outcome to the different nature of the two sides' objectives, writing that Trump entered a war with a country that did not need a complete military victory, but only needed to resist and endure.
According to Hennigan, the United States also aligned itself with the Zionist regime—a regime with different goals, focused more on preserving its regional superiority than on achieving a complete end to the conflict.
Signs of Structural Weakness
The author believes that Washington was ultimately forced to accept a fragile and conditional ceasefire rather than the unconditional surrender Trump had sought.
He says this revealed fundamental weaknesses in America's military-industrial structure and raised concerns about the country's readiness to confront larger rivals in the future.
Hennigan emphasizes that although the U.S. Navy was able to disrupt part of Iran's oil trade and target thousands of military and industrial targets, inflicting damage on Iran's air and naval forces, Tehran was able to show considerable resistance.
Iran's Missile Capability
The author refers to U.S. intelligence assessments, claiming that Iran had preserved about 70 percent of its missile stockpiles by May of last year.
Concerns of America's Regional Allies
Hennigan writes that America's regional allies have also raised more questions about the benefit of hosting U.S. forces, especially after bases, embassies, and various American facilities were targeted in Iranian retaliatory strikes.
According to him, this has heightened concerns that the presence of U.S. forces may become a factor threatening the security of these countries rather than providing security.
The Challenge of Dependence on Expensive Weapons
This war also highlighted another problem: America's over-reliance on advanced and extremely expensive equipment, which takes a long time to reproduce.
Hennigan says that U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has acknowledged that replenishing the depleted stockpiles could take months or even years.
He warns that China and Russia may view these signs as evidence of the weakness of America's military-industrial capability—an issue that could particularly encourage China to test the limits of U.S. deterrence in the future.
Remaining Challenges After the Agreement
The author notes that the framework agreement between Washington and Tehran has given the two sides 60 days to reach a final agreement, but complex issues remain.
Among these issues are the fate of approximately 440 kilograms of 60-percent enriched uranium, nearly 10 tons of other enriched nuclear materials, Iran's missile program, and Tehran's support for its regional allies.
Hennigan, citing Ali Vaez, the director of the Iran project at the International Crisis Group, writes that the success of the negotiations could transform the nature of U.S.-Iran relations and redraw the geopolitical map of the region.
However, he warns that remaining at the level of a temporary memorandum of understanding without reaching a lasting agreement would be the perfect example of a strategic mistake.
An Uncertain Future After the War
Hennigan concludes by writing that the United States now faces a new reality of thousands of casualties, rising global energy prices, and concerns about the region's future stability.
He says that while both Washington and Tehran are declaring themselves victorious, the world is waiting to see whether this fragile peace will hold or whether a new round of tensions and conflict will begin.
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