The study argues that endurance under sustained pressure is itself part of the balance of power in a war that Washington has so far been unable to terminate on its own terms.
• The widening gap between military achievements and strategic outcomes exposes a problem of U.S. “strategic overstretch.” The redeployment of the last U.S. aircraft carrier from Asia to cover West Asia, according to the study, demonstrates how the Iran war is consuming resources that could otherwise underpin American deterrence in Asia.
Bottom Line
The study concludes that the confrontation has entered a phase of “strategic impasse.” It sees the war as more than a regional conflict: a potential turning point from an era of predominant U.S. power toward a more multipolar security order.
Its central assessment is that American endurance is eroding faster than Iranian endurance. Washington’s principal problems are characterized as strategic—concerning global influence, credibility, and the sustainability of U.S. hegemony—while Iran’s problems are characterized as predominantly operational and tactical, leaving Tehran greater room for adaptation.
Therefore, the study gives the advantage in relative endurance to Iran, arguing that Washington is increasingly confronted with strategic problems requiring solutions it has, at least at the time of the study, not yet demonstrated an ability to provide.
