As the United States intensifies its attacks on Iran, Iran is retaliating, targeting military and civilian infrastructure in Gulf states and Jordan while avoiding attacks on U.S. naval assets deployed near its coast and on Israeli soil. Analysts say this strategy aims to pressure U.S. President Trump while preventing the war from escalating.
Retired Lebanese Brigadier General and military analyst Elias Hanna stated that attacking U.S. naval assets would provoke a devastating retaliation from the United States. Another issue is that, from a military perspective, attacking naval assets is very difficult because they are heavily protected and possess advanced air defense systems. Regarding Iran's targeting of neighboring countries, Atife Taguiani, a professor of political science at the University of Tehran, believes that the United States is using Gulf states (especially Kuwait) to attack Iranian civilian infrastructure. U.S. naval vessels are deliberately targeting Iranian civilian infrastructure because it "wants to deepen hostility between countries in the region and try to make it more difficult for Iran to respond."
