Iran is facing increasing economic pressure from US sanctions and a maritime blockade, and concerns about the impact on its people are growing as food prices rise and access to foreign currency becomes more difficult. Ali Akbar Darani, a researcher at the Tehran Center for Strategic Studies, says these measures are hitting Iran, but are unlikely to force Tehran to yield. He believes that after decades of economic pressure, Iran has developed a certain capacity to cope. Darani says Washington's strategy is based on the assumption that increasing economic costs will eventually force Iran to concede. However, he says Tehran is responding through a combination of military and non-military measures, including exerting pressure in the Strait of Hormuz and seeking support from allies elsewhere in the region. "Iran's strategy is based on asymmetric warfare," he says, arguing that Tehran cannot confront the US at the conventional military level and must constantly adopt new tactics and expand the geographical scope of the confrontation. Darani says the conflict has spread from Iran and the Gulf region to the Levant and the Red Sea, and could escalate further in the future. He describes Iran's current strategic posture as an "offensive military strategy, not a defensive one." He stated that Tehran is developing plans aimed at increasing the cost of continued U.S. pressure and preventing Washington's blockade strategy from succeeding.
