Missiles, oil shock, endurance: Iran's strategy to make US and Israel blink first
India Today
Iran is pursuing a strategy of endurance in its conflict with the US and Israel, aiming to stretch the war into a prolonged battle of attrition. By launching drones and missiles and threatening energy routes, Tehran hopes to raise global economic costs and pressure Washington politically.
Iran is wagering it can outlast the United States and Israel – not militarily, but by grinding the war into a brutal contest of endurance. Its strategy is stark: Unleash drones and missiles, cut vital energy routes and jolt global markets hard enough to force Washington to blink first.
Despite the shock of the US–Israeli strikes and the loss of key figures, the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) – long the ultimate guardian of the Islamic Republic – is firmly in control, directing the battlefield, executing pre-planned contingencies and dictating strategy and targets in the war.
The IRGC also played the decisive role in elevating Mojtaba Khamenei as supreme leader after Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in the opening US–Israeli strikes.
“For them, they are waging an existential fight. This is an all-out war,” said Fawaz Gerges of the London School of Economics. “They believe their very survival is at stake. They're willing to bring the temple down on everyone’s heads.” Alex Vatanka, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute and expert on Iranian politics, added: "They're like a bleeding animal – wounded, but therefore more dangerous than ever."
That all-out war mindset is behind Iran’s escalating strikes across the Gulf, targeting energy hubs from Qatar to Saudi Arabia to maximise economic disruption in a calculated attempt to drive up costs for its neighbours, Europe and the United States and test Washington’s political will.
US President Donald Trump told Republican lawmakers on Monday the war would continue until Iran is "totally and decisively defeated" but predicted it would be over soon.
Over the past week, social media has been abuzz with rumours claiming that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was killed in an Iranian missile strike. However, there remains no credible evidence. It coincided with his reported absence from cabinet meetings. However, Israel has released videos and images to assert that Netanyahu is alive.
Norwegian Ambassador May-Elin Stener shared pictures of her travelling on the Delhi Metro for the first time in a now-viral post on social media.
Trump claimed Iran's retaliatory strikes on Gulf nations were unexpected. But intelligence reports and experts had warned in advance that Tehran could escalate by targeting regional countries.
Sri Lanka has moved to a four-day work week to conserve fuel as the Middle East war disrupts oil supplies through the Strait of Hormuz, while Bangladesh has begun rationing fuel and Pakistan has shifted offices to remote work to ease an emerging energy crunch.
The story began with America as Iran's saviour but ended with America as its Satan. The rivalry written over decades in oil and blood is catastrophically being settled with fire that can singe the world.
According to a report by The Telegraph, Israeli ballistic missiles struck the compound soon after Mojtaba left the building, killing Ali Khamenei along with dozens of senior officials and relatives.
Trump demanded warships. He threatened allies. He warned NATO of a very bad future. The whole world watched, nodded politely, and walked away. Here is exactly what that means.
An incident involving a promotional robot in Macau has raised safety concerns after a woman was startled, prompting police intervention and renewed focus on robotics in public spaces.
Laylatul Qadr is considered one of the holiest nights in Islam. The Night of Decree, when Muslims keep up late into the night for prayers, is different this year. It is a sombre Laylatul Qadr night amid fears for life and safety amid the US-Israel-Iran war in the Middle East.
A group of Rajasthani folk artists delivered an impromptu musical performance during a security screening at Jodhpur Airport.
The newspaper, citing officials familiar with the conversations, said the Saudi leader has been in frequent contact with Trump during the conflict and encouraged him to "keep hitting the Iranians hard" as the fighting intensifies across the region.
A video showing a woman holding a child near a moving train window for him to urinate has gone viral, stirring public outrage over safety risks.