No. of Recommendations: 7
"Iran's conventional forces were damaged, but whatever impact that had is completely overwhelmed by the increase in Iran's ability to project power resulting from the Strait of Hormuz and their ability to attack regional energy infrastructure. They've now demonstrated they can do both, and that the mightiest military the world has ever known lacks the ability to either force the Strait back to normal or to fully protect the other Gulf States from missile and drone attack."
To be fair, the U.S. military definitely has the ability to force the Strait back to normal.
Is there anyone who really doubts that if the U.S. military was given free reign (and a budget to do so) that they could not completely topple the Iranian regime (including the Republican Guard force)?
Of course, that would involve an invasion with a large boots of the ground footprint. I am guessing that within a few months of putting hundreds of thousands of soldiers on the ground that most of the upper levels of the Iranian leadership (both the Mullahs and the IRGC) would be dead or captured. That would come with the political price that the U.S. would then be occupying a huge, broken country with a populace that does not like us, but that is a political problem, not a military problem.
The U.S. military definitely has the ability to do whatever it wants militarily in Iran. The problem is the U.S. population is (rightfully!!!) not willing to pay the political price. The Trump administration is made the same mistake that the Bush administration made (though on a lesser scale since they are not putting boots on the ground), they are confusing military success with political success.
