US strikes on Iran: What are Tehran's options against Donald Trump-led nation?
Iran can task its proxies in Iraq, Yemen, Syria and Lebanon to attack US military assets.
The United States' strikes on Iranian nuclear sites have exacerbated the situation in the Middle East, which is already reeling under Israel's wars against Hamas in Gaza and Iran. US President Donald Trump's decision to launch the strikes has forced Iran to weigh its options against Washington. What can Iran do to respond to the US strikes that don't embroil it in an all-out and protracted war?
Iran has myriad options – including Iran striking US bases and closing waterways. However, it is likely to choose an option with low risks, especially since its principal nemesis is Israel, which attacked unprovoked, to cripple Tehran's nuclear ambitions.
Iran can hit US military assets
Iran can task its proxies in Iraq, Yemen, Syria and Lebanon to attack US military assets. The US has 19 military sites in the Middle East, eight of which are its permanent bases. The US has stationed at least 40,000 troops in the region.
CNN political and global affairs analyst, Barak Ravid, told the American channel that the Iranians have said “several times” that if the US “joins this war and attacks their nuclear facilities, they will retaliate against US forces in the region, against US interests, and there are a lot of those.”
Iran can also activate the Houthi rebels against US targets, who can attack American ships in the Red Sea.
The most dreaded option will be to engage the US in a war of attrition, where it tries to exhaust its adversary's will to fight.
Iran can disrupt oil supply
Ravid told the channel that Iran can influence commercial shipping in the Gulf. Iran is already mulling shutting the Strait of Hormuz, which is a key global oil supply sea route.
This strategy can put pressure on the global oil market, which can hit the US and their western allies' commercial and strategic interests.
The Strait of Hormuz accounts for millions of barrels reaching the world through the Middle East.
Iran expert and editor of the Amwaj news outlet, Mohammad Ali Shabani, told CNN that Iran's geographic advantage gives it the ability to shock the oil markets, wreaking damage to Donald Trump's economic agenda.
Nuclear bomb
Another option with Iran, according to the CNN report, is to rush to build a nuclear bomb. It can also withdraw from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, going back on its pledge not to develop a bomb.
It will be a big blow to the United States' foreign policy. It will also be a deterrent for Iran's enemies.
Can focus on attacking only Israel
Iran can simply keep attacking Israel, the United States' strategic ally. Israel is currently the biggest threat to Iran.
It can also give a measured response, firing just missiles at US bases in places like Iraq.
Iran may not want a full-scale confrontation with the United States, the world's richest and most powerful nation.
Also read: Israel Iran news war LIVE: Imminent threat of Iran strikes on US' Qatar base, says report
Cyberattacks
Iran can also resort to "asymmetric" warfare, including cyberattacks and terrorism, to attack the United States and Israel.
“I think the IRGC (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps) is probably trying to figure out what capabilities it has left”, as its missile stockpile dwindles, said CNN national security analyst David Sanger.
“I think (the IRGC is) going to be a little bit careful, and I suspect that’s going to take us to all of the asymmetric things they can do: cyber, terrorism. I think that they’re probably going to be looking for things where the US cannot just put up the traditional defences,” he added.
