Top analysts break down Iran’s war strategy and why it’s proving so difficult for the United States to counter. Experts, including Ross Harrison and Harlan Ullman, explain how Iran is using a long-developed “diffusion strategy” — spreading influence across the region through allies in Lebanon, Iraq, Syria, and Yemen — to apply pressure without direct confrontation. As the war escalates, the U.S. faces rising costs, expanding battlefronts, and growing political pressure at home. With the involvement of groups like the Hezbollah and the Houthis, the conflict is rapidly becoming more complex. Meanwhile, global tensions rise as oil prices surge and key routes like the Strait of Hormuz and Bab el-Mandeb face potential disruption. Is Iran “winning by not losing”?
