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Source: https://spencerguard.substack.com/p/what-options-does-the-united-states
What Options Does the U.S. Have Left in Iran?
(Substack) Maj. (ret.) John Spencer - The war against Iran that began on Feb. 28 was never designed as a regime-change campaign. Had the U.S. intended to overthrow the Islamic Republic, it would have applied vastly different forces and pursued Tehran's political collapse from the opening hours. The endgame remains regime behavior change. Iran's remaining leaders must decide that preserving the Islamic Republic requires abandoning the programs and actions that brought the country into war. They must accept that continuing their current behavior will place their military power, governing institutions, personal security, and ultimately the survival of the regime in greater danger. The U.S. wants Iran to accept conditions it has resisted for decades because American military power has made further resistance unbearable. Negotiations produce little when one side believes time, delay, and continued resistance will improve its position. In the next phase, military action, economic pressure, diplomacy, intelligence, cyber operations, information operations, and support to internal resistance should reinforce one another until the regime concludes that continued resistance threatens its survival. Every day of resistance should leave the regime weaker and less confident. The senior political and military leadership should not enjoy sanctuary while Iranian forces attack American personnel and attempt to control the Strait of Hormuz. Those directing the war should be hunted, isolated, and prevented from exercising effective command. Iran must understand that the war has not come close to exhausting American power. Tehran cannot assume that surviving the first campaign guarantees the survival of its remaining military capabilities. The writer is chair of urban warfare studies at West Point's Modern War Institute.