US strikes on Iran: What are Tehran's options against Donald Trump-led nation?
Iran has myriad options – including Iran striking US bases and closing waterways. However, it is likely to choose an option with low risks, especially since its principal nemesis is Israel, which attacked unprovoked, to cripple Tehran's nuclear ambitions.
Iran can task its proxies in Iraq, Yemen, Syria and Lebanon to attack US military assets. The US has 19 military sites in the Middle East, eight of which are its permanent bases. The US has stationed at least 40,000 troops in the region.
CNN political and global affairs analyst, Barak Ravid, told the American channel that the Iranians have said 'several times' that if the US 'joins this war and attacks their nuclear facilities, they will retaliate against US forces in the region, against US interests, and there are a lot of those.'
Iran can also activate the Houthi rebels against US targets, who can attack American ships in the Red Sea.
The most dreaded option will be to engage the US in a war of attrition, where it tries to exhaust its adversary's will to fight. Iran can disrupt oil supply
Ravid told the channel that Iran can influence commercial shipping in the Gulf. Iran is already mulling shutting the Strait of Hormuz, which is a key global oil supply sea route.
This strategy can put pressure on the global oil market, which can hit the US and their western allies' commercial and strategic interests.
The Strait of Hormuz accounts for millions of barrels reaching the world through the Middle East.
Iran expert and editor of the Amwaj news outlet, Mohammad Ali Shabani, told CNN that Iran's geographic advantage gives it the ability to shock the oil markets, wreaking damage to Donald Trump's economic agenda. Nuclear bomb
Another option with Iran, according to the CNN report, is to rush to build a nuclear bomb. It can also withdraw from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, going back on its pledge not to develop a bomb.
It will be a big blow to the United States' foreign policy. It will also be a deterrent for Iran's enemies. Can focus on attacking only Israel
Iran can simply keep attacking Israel, the United States' strategic ally. Israel is currently the biggest threat to Iran.
It can also give a measured response, firing just missiles at US bases in places like Iraq.
Iran may not want a full-scale confrontation with the United States, the world's richest and most powerful nation.
Also read: Israel Iran news war LIVE: Imminent threat of Iran strikes on US' Qatar base, says report Cyberattacks
Iran can also resort to "asymmetric" warfare, including cyberattacks and terrorism, to attack the United States and Israel.
'I think the IRGC (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps) is probably trying to figure out what capabilities it has left', as its missile stockpile dwindles, said CNN national security analyst David Sanger.
'I think (the IRGC is) going to be a little bit careful, and I suspect that's going to take us to all of the asymmetric things they can do: cyber, terrorism. I think that they're probably going to be looking for things where the US cannot just put up the traditional defences,' he added.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Mint
16 minutes ago
- Mint
Alaska Air Brings Back Annual Profit Outlook on Improved Demand
(Bloomberg) -- Alaska Air Group Inc. provided a new profit outlook for the year following an upturn in demand from business travelers who set aside trips early in the year on concerns over possible tariffs and worsening inflation. Average fares and revenue have improved in recent bookings at both Alaska and its Hawaiian Airlines unit, leading to a 2025 adjusted profit outlook of more than $3.25 a share, the carrier said Wednesday in a statement that also included second-quarter financial results. The airline was among those that pulled annual outlooks in April, after uncertainty stoked by President Donald Trump's tariff policies rattled business and consumer confidence and cratered demand early in the year. Increased business travel — particularly in the tech industry — that started late in the second quarter has persisted this month as companies see more stability in the macroeconomy, Chief Financial Officer Shane Tackett said. 'That's been a good development,' Tackett said in an interview. 'We're optimistic that if it remains, we could have a stronger second half than the first as some demand that stepped down comes back.' The recent pickup in travel is particularly important for Alaska as it continues combining operations with Hawaiian, which it acquired in September. Alaska and other US-focused carriers were more affected by the early drop in demand than rivals including United Airlines Group Inc. and Delta Air Lines Inc. that also have extensive international operations. Alaska will limit flying capacity growth in the second half of the year. The carrier expects third quarter seating to be 1% lower than 2024 on demand that's below its expectations during off-peak travel times. Smaller airlines are broadly expected to slow growth after the summer travel period in an effort to better match demand and boost fares. The airline also said it expects a third-quarter adjusted earnings per share of $1 to $1.40. That is lower than the $1.65 average of analyst estimates compiled by Bloomberg. Wall Street was expecting a 2025 adjusted profit of $3.31 per share. Alaska has taken delivery of two Embraer SA E175 aircraft that it delayed earlier this year on the threat of possible tariffs, Tackett said. The airline is set to receive three more next year and will have to evaluate 'whether or not those assets make economic sense for us' if tariffs force Embraer to increase prices markedly. Embraer's chief executive officer has said punitive tariffs threatened by Trump could add $9 million to the price of each plane. Alaska's adjusted second-quarter profit was $1.78 a share, topping the $1.53 average from analyst estimates. Revenue was $3.7 billion, while analysts were expecting $3.66 billion. More stories like this are available on
Hindustan Times
16 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Trump was informed he was named in Epstein files? Here's what White House said
US President Donald Trump was informed in May that his name appeared in the Jeffrey Epstein filed, and the information was given to him by Attorney General Pam Bondi, a Wall Street Journal report said on Thursday. A message calling on President Donald Trump to release all files related to Jeffrey Epstein is projected onto the US Chamber of Commerce building.(AFP) However, the White House has denied the report as "fake news", blaming the Democrats and liberal media for fabricating it. "This is nothing more than a continuation of the fake news stories concocted by the Democrats and the liberal media," White House spokesman Steven Cheung was quoted as saying by news agency Reuters. What did the WSJ report say? The publication has claimed that Pam Bondi reviewed files related to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and found Trump's mention in it "multiple times". Bondi and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche then informed Trump of the development, the publication further reported. The WSJ report also claimed that besides Trump, the Epstein files named many other high-profile figures. However, WSJ also said that "being mentioned in the records isn't a sign of wrongdoing". While the White House was quick to dismiss the report, Bondi and her deputy also issued a statement, without directly addressing the WSJ report. "Nothing in the files warranted further investigation or prosecution, and we have filed a motion in court to unseal the underlying grand jury transcripts," the officials were quoted as saying by Reuters. "As part of our routine briefing, we made the President aware of the findings." The report also claimed that the officials told Trump in May itself that there were no plans to release documents related to the probe as "the material contained child pornography and victims' personal information." Trump-Epstein ties and the files Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein were once friends but their ties are now under scrutiny, amid a growing demand for the release of all government files on the sex offender's alleged crimes. The duo shared a good camaraderie in the 1990s but had a falling out in 2004 over eyeing the same property at Palm Beach. In 2019, Trump said that they had a "falling out" and hadn't spoken in 15 years. While there was a period when the two shared a friendship, there is no evidence linking Trump to the sex offender's crimes. The Jeffrey Epstein files contain important information, like flight logs, contact lists, clients list, court records etc., linked to the sex offender and his activities. While some parts of the files have been released, large portions of it still remain sealed and there are growing demands to release them.
Hindustan Times
43 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Why NPS's latest revamp of Muir Woods National Monument has sparked a row
The Muir Woods National Monument in Mill Valley, California, has become the subject of controversy over its removal of an explainer that accompanied an exhibit remembering the role of women in the creation of the monument. The U.S. National Parks Service logo is displayed at Glen Canyon National Recreation Area on July 10, 2025 in Page, Arizona. (Getty Images via AFP) According to reports, the National Parks Service (NPS) has removed the explainer in it's latest revamp of the park. It also removed the mention of the racist past of some of the celebrated figures associated with the park. A report by the San Francisco-based news website, SFGATE, cited a forest ranger who worked on the exhibit's removal to confirm that it was removed as part of a NPS revamp. The report stated that the removal was done as per a directive from Interior Secretary Doug Burgum asking the removal of what President Donald Trump has called "improper ideology" from monuments and parks. A ranger, cited in another report by 19thNews, said that the removal took place last week under an initiative by NPS called 'History Under Construction.' The objective of the initiative was to fill the gaps in the park's historical timeline to provide a more 'comprehensive history', the report stated. Also read: Trump was informed by Pam Bondi's DOJ that his name is in the Epstein files: Report What did the removed exhibits contain? The website of NPS stated that the removed signage was added to the exhibit at the Muir Woods National Monument in 2021. It highlighted the work of 'The California Club' - an all-women's club that launched the first campaign in 1903 to save the iconic old-growth redwood trees in the park. Additionally, the role of some of the indigenous tribes in conserving the area, such as the Coast Miwok and Southern Pomo tribes, has also been removed. The changes made in the 2021 revamp also included highlighting the racist background of some of the otherwise celebrated men associated with the park. The report by 19thNews stated that among the figures whose political background has been cleaned in the latest revamp are William Kent, the man who bought and donated the park to the federal government; the eugenics links Gifford Pinchot, the first chief of the US Forest Service, among others.
