Dana Stroul: US, Israel Achieving Military Gains In Iran, But Political End Remains Unclear

Features Dana Stroul: US, Israel Achieving Military Gains In Iran, But Political End Remains Unclear By Amra Zejneli Loxha March 06, 2026 05:00 CET Listen 9 min This audio is automated Learn more Dana Stroul: US, Israel Achieving Military Gains In Iran, But Political End Remains Unclear Share Share Print US and Israeli air strikes are delivering military blows against Iran, but Washington still lacks a defined political strategy for what comes after the fighting, Dana Stroul, former deputy assistant secretary of defense for the Middle East, said in an interview with Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. Stroul, now director of research at The Washington Institute for Near East Policy, said Tehran’s conventional capabilities are being degraded but cautioned that Iran still has other options — including cyber operations and activating networks beyond the Middle East — and that pressures from casualties, munitions and interceptor stocks, and global economic fallout could grow the longer the war continues. RFE/RL: From a US defense policy perspective, what is realistically achievable at this stage of the war with Iran? Dana Stroul: From a defense policy perspective, I thought what General Kaine, the chairman of our Joint Chiefs of Staff, yesterday said was really important. He said the military objective was to eliminate Iran's ability to project power across the Middle East. And what he means by that are the three major concerns that US defense policymakers have had for a really long time: Iran's nuclear weapons program, Iran's missile program, and Iran's support for terrorism across the Middle East. And we've seen over the past several days since this war started that, that they are making efforts to degrade and set back each of those different programs. RFE/RL: What will be the clearest sign that the campaign is moving in that direction at this signs are already there that the military objectives are on track. For example, within the first 48 hours of this campaign, Israe...