Iran tests America’s naval shield

by AZADEH AKBAR
TEHRAN, (CAJ News) – IRAN’S latest missile attack on American naval forces has delivered a powerful warning to Washington: even the world’s most sophisticated warships operate under growing missile pressure in the Middle East.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it launched ballistic missiles at a US aircraft carrier and guided-missile destroyer, claiming both vessels were damaged and forced to withdraw.

Washington tells a different story.

US Central Command says the carrier and destroyer successfully evaded multiple attacks and that no American personnel were injured.

That distinction matters. Iran has demonstrated that it can threaten high-value American naval assets, but there is currently no verified evidence that Tehran has successfully struck or disabled either warship.

Nevertheless, the episode exposes the enormous challenge facing US forces.

Aircraft carriers are designed to project power, but they are not literally untouchable.

Their survival depends on layered defences involving escorts, radar, electronic warfare, fighter aircraft and missile interceptors.

A determined opponent capable of launching repeated ballistic and other missile attacks can force commanders to manoeuvre, disperse assets and expend expensive defensive ammunition.

Iran’s missile arsenal has therefore become a central element of its strategy.

Tehran does not need to destroy an American carrier to achieve a strategic effect.

Simply forcing US commanders to alter operations, consume interceptors or keep valuable ships farther from threatened waters can raise the cost of American military power projection.

Washington has been forced to withdraw its forces from bases across the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, Iraq, Syria and Lebanon due to the Iran’s military firepower.

Worse, the US’ depleted “run out” of interceptors complicates the matter in this war of choice.

What is clear is that sustained missile warfare places enormous demands on finite defensive stocks, creating a logistical problem for the US military facing repeated attacks.

The immediate US response was forceful.

CENTCOM said American forces struck three Iranian oil tankers after the missile attacks, disabling two and destroying another.

Admiral Brad Cooper warned that attacks on US ships would bring an even higher economic cost.

For Washington, the lesson is uncomfortable: military dominance does not mean immunity.

For Tehran, the lesson is equally significant.

Iran has shown that its missiles can force the United States to devote considerable resources to defending its forces.

The confrontation is therefore becoming a contest not simply of missiles and warships, but of endurance, ammunition, logistics, deterrence and political will.

– CAJ News