Iran's military unshaken by attacks, analyst says

The Middle East remains on edge after the United States and Israel launched coordinated strikes against Iran early on Saturday, hours after U.S.–Iran talks in Geneva, escalating tensions into open confrontation.

U.S. President Donald Trump said nine Iranian naval vessels were destroyed and a naval headquarters was heavily damaged or destroyed during the operation. He added that the conflict could last around four weeks.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran would determine “when and how” the war ends.

Speaking to Panorama.am on Monday, Iranian analyst Pooya Hosseini said Iran was fully defending itself and responding proportionately to each attack.

“As we see, the operations are highly coordinated,” Hosseini said. “Despite the targeting of the country’s supreme leader and senior military commanders, there is no sign of panic, no suspension of military operations and no sign of weakness. The response continues intensively, with counterstrikes following each attack.”

He said the killings and attacks had not significantly affected the operational capabilities of Iran’s armed forces, as such scenarios had been anticipated and contingency plans prepared.

The conflict is gradually taking on a regional dimension, Hosseini added. Iran has warned that if hostilities expand beyond a bilateral or trilateral framework, U.S. military bases in regional countries from which attacks on Iran were launched would be considered legitimate targets.

Tehran had previously cautioned neighboring states against allowing their territory to be used for military operations against Iran, he said, adding some countries were either unable or unwilling to prevent it.

The Iranian authorities believe the current escalation reflects an attempt to combine negotiations with military pressure and threats to force Tehran into concessions, Hosseini said. However, Iran’s leadership has declared it is not prepared to make concessions.

Interview by K. Sahakyan