Israel seeks US ...
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Given Iran’s demonstrated deterrent capacity during the 12-day war, if full US backing is absent, what alternative options would Israel consider in confronting Iran?
A lack of US cooperation with Israel would raise the chances of Iran easily gaining the upper hand in any future conflict. Iran’s vast geopolitical reach makes a prolonged war of attrition between Tehran and Tel Aviv virtually untenable. It appears that without US military and media support, Israel lacks the capacity to confront Iran directly and would only be able to inflict damage through surprise operations.
The deterrent power demonstrated during the 12‑day conflict made it clear to the world that Iran, as a military force in West Asia, commands significant capabilities and can inflict severe and lasting damage on Israel on its own.
Yet, if a new war were to break out between Iran and Israel, several West Asian countries would likely become involved. This, in turn, could trigger a crisis surpassing the eras of the wars in Iraq, Syria, and Afghanistan, potentially extending even to other continents. Under such circumstances, a dire situation could emerge across the region, with these wars possibly continuing in an attritional form for many years.
What deterrent tools and measures does Iran have at its disposal to prevent Israeli military action or to raise its costs?
More than seven months into the 12-day war, Iran has drawn serious and thought-provoking lessons from that experience. Efforts have been made to identify previously unimaginable vulnerabilities and to address the ways Israel might again resort to blind operations. As a result, improving military hardware has been placed high on the priority list, alongside increasing the defense budget, to deter Israel from any military action and prevent it from even contemplating another attack.
Conversely, the Israeli regime has also taken note of Iran’s military deterrence measures, recognizing that today’s Iran is different from the Iran of June 2025. It is no longer possible for a renewed attack to threaten or dismantle Iran’s structural foundations. Israel will therefore continue to keep a close watch, hoping that a more favorable opportunity might eventually emerge.