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Source: https://www.israelhayom.com/2026/06/06/iran-has-broken-the-fear-barrier-with-the-us/
Iran Acting to Rebuild Its Deterrence Against the U.S.
(Israel Hayom) Major (res.) Danny Citrinowicz - The exchanges of fire between Iranian and American forces over the past several nights reflect a deeper trend: Tehran's attempt to rebuild its deterrence against the U.S., alongside an unwillingness to accept any effort to undermine the new status quo it seeks to impose in the Strait of Hormuz. Tehran believes that tankers operating with American assistance, or U.S. Navy vessels, are trying to challenge the new reality it seeks to impose in the Strait of Hormuz. In response, it acts against those vessels, prompting a measured American response, usually against an Iranian military facility in the region. An Iranian limited response against American bases then follows, mainly in Kuwait and also in Bahrain. Tehran appears to be gradually raising the threshold of its response in an effort to establish a deterrence equation with the U.S. The collapse of Iran's concept of "forward defense," which rested on the idea that regional proxies would deter Israel and prevent a direct attack on Iran, is leading Iran to conclude that the most effective way to deter the U.S. from future military action, or from supporting another Israeli strike, is by creating a direct deterrence equation with Washington. The writer is former head of the Iran Division in the IDF Military Intelligence Research Department.