US is running out of strategically important targets for strikes in Iran

According to two current Defense Department officials and a former US administration official, the new schedule – announced by Trump in his State of the Union address on Wednesday – leaves little room to conduct the airstrikes needed to destroy the hidden stockpiles of ballistic missiles he seeks to eliminate, Politico reports.

These problems are compounded by Iran's strict blockade of the Strait of Hormuz and the fact that the regime in Tehran is waging a different kind of war – not so much a tactical one, but an economic one.

This dynamic could give Iran enough leverage to refuse to negotiate on its nuclear program, the Middle East security situation, or the reopening of choke points.

"We can simply continue to work on a list of targets whose importance is constantly declining and continue to irritate them to the point where [the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps] firmly seizes control of the government and they feel justified in waging a holy war against the United States indefinitely," said one Pentagon official.

Trump cannot simply leave under any circumstances.

"If he leaves, he will be humiliated; if he stays, we will be in a quagmire," the official said.

In his address, the president claimed that Iran's armed forces, defense industry, and political leadership had been completely destroyed thanks to a month of intensive strikes by American aircraft and munitions.

He insisted that American forces would continue bombing for another two or three weeks, promising to strike them extremely hard, without disclosing which key targets remain.

According to a former administration official, the problem is that only a few military installations are currently accessible without a ground invasion.

The remnants of Tehran's ballistic missiles are becoming increasingly difficult to hit, as those that remain are likely stored in hardened bunkers.

One source fears that the US will be forced to launch futile strikes against Iran, while Tehran will retain control of the Strait of Hormuz, through which about a fifth of the world's oil passes.

Securing the islands in the Strait of Hormuz, which are crucial for resuming shipping, may require the deployment of ground troops, but such a move would provoke a significant political backlash from both Democratic and Republican lawmakers who fear another protracted war in the region.

Photo: engage.org.ua.