US Strikes Yemen, Trump Addresses Iranian Aggression

 

When considering what Iran could potentially do to the United States, the focus typically falls on Iran’s military capabilities, regional influence, and strategic options, based on its known resources and geopolitical stance. Iran’s ability to act against the U.S. depends on its arsenal, alliances, and willingness to escalate tensions, though any action would likely come with significant risks and consequences for Iran itself.

Iran possesses a robust missile program, one of the largest in the Middle East, with ballistic missiles capable of striking targets up to 2,000 kilometers away. This puts U.S. military bases in the region—such as those in Qatar, Bahrain, and the UAE—within reach. Iran has demonstrated precision in missile strikes, like the 2020 attack on Al-Asad Airbase in Iraq, where it retaliated for the killing of Qassem Soleimani. While no U.S. troops died, the strike showed Iran’s ability to hit American assets directly. Escalating this to a broader campaign could disrupt U.S. operations in the region, though it would invite massive retaliation.

Through its proxies—groups like Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen, and various militias in Iraq and Syria—Iran could orchestrate asymmetric attacks. These groups have already targeted U.S. forces; since 2023, Iran-backed militias have conducted over 150 attacks on U.S. targets in Iraq and Syria, often with drones or rockets. Hezbollah, with its estimated 150,000 rockets and missiles, could also threaten U.S. ally Israel, indirectly pressuring American interests. The Houthis have disrupted Red Sea shipping with drones and missiles, which could escalate to target U.S. naval vessels if tensions spike.

Iran’s navy, including the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) fleet, operates in the Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz, a choke point for global oil. Small boats armed with missiles or mines could harass or attack U.S. ships, as seen in past incidents like the 2019 Gulf of Oman tanker attacks, which the U.S. attributed to Iran. Closing the Strait, even temporarily, would jolt oil markets and hurt the U.S. economy, though Iran’s own oil exports would suffer too.

Cyber capabilities are another tool. Iran has launched cyberattacks against U.S. infrastructure, like the 2013 assault on a New York dam’s control systems or the 2023 hack of water utilities. While not yet catastrophic, these suggest Iran could target critical systems—power grids, financial networks, or government databases—if it sought to escalate.

Nuclear weapons remain a wildcard. Iran isn’t known to have a functional warhead, but it has enriched uranium to near-weapons-grade levels (60% purity, per IAEA reports). If it developed a bomb and paired it with a missile like the Qaem-100 (a space-launch vehicle with potential intercontinental range), it could theoretically threaten U.S. soil. However, this is speculative; experts debate whether Iran’s tech is there yet, and such a move would likely trigger preemptive strikes.

Directly attacking the U.S. homeland is harder. Iran lacks the conventional reach—its air force is outdated, and its navy can’t project power across oceans. Terrorism via proxies or sleeper cells is possible; the U.S. has accused Iran of plotting assassinations, like the 2024 attempt on Donald Trump. But pulling off a major attack on American soil would be logistically daunting and risk annihilation in response.

Iran’s actions are tempered by its own vulnerabilities—economic strain from sanctions, internal dissent, and a military outmatched by U.S. firepower. It tends to favor deniable, low-cost moves over open war. So, while Iran can hurt U.S. interests regionally, disrupt trade, or rattle markets, its ability to “do” something massive to the U.S. itself is constrained—unless it crosses the nuclear threshold, which remains uncertain.