Iran does not need to beat the Americans militarily. It just needs to outlast them
Iran does not need to beat the Americans militarily. It just needs to outlast them Submitted by Marco Carnelos on Tue, 09/15/2026 - 19:59 As Yemen's Houthis ramp up the costs of war in the Gulf, Tehran is wagering on US elections to bring a political sea change A man cycles past a mural depicting the late Iranian supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in Tehran on 24 July 2026 (AFP) Off The…
Iran does not aim to defeat the United States militarily. Instead, Tehran is focusing on outlasting its adversary through a long-term strategy. This approach became evident after Iran's Houthi forces took control of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a crucial maritime passage carrying about 10 percent of global trade and a third of container traffic.
Simultaneously, Iran struck Saudi Arabia's East-West pipeline, causing a shutdown of the crude oil route to the Red Sea terminal at Yanbu. Saudi Arabia has managed to avoid further confrontation with the US for now, but the damage to their economy is still significant. Iran's strategy relies on raising the costs of the war step by step through its proxies, without engaging in direct confrontations that could trigger an American response.
Written by urgent.news from Middle East Eye's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
