Internal solidarity developed during the war... “Iranian hardliners may launch additional provocations.”

Internal solidarity developed during the war... “Iranian hardliners may launch additional provocations.”

(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Kwak Min-seo = U.S. intelligence officials have assessed that Iran has become more confident in its military capabilities after going through a war with the United States.

While the United States is seeking an exit strategy from the Iran war, Iran is said to be willing to continue the war for several months and put pressure on the United States.

According to the New York Times (NYT), an American daily, on the 4th (local time), U.S. intelligence officials assessed in a recent report that Iran has increased confidence in its military power through the war with the United States.

Iran clearly understood its military strengths during the war, and based on this, it solidified its judgment that it could sufficiently fight a long-term war with the United States.

Rep. Jason Crow (Democrat, Colorado), a member of the U.S. House Intelligence Committee, told the NYT, "Iran has a fairly optimistic view of the situation they are currently in. They have suffered significant damage, but that damage has been inherent in their system from the beginning."

He added, “Iran is pursuing a much longer-term strategy than before.”

In fact, Iran's governance base is evaluated to have become stronger through this war.

The leadership, which had been divided in the long-running theocratic system, developed solidarity around hardliners, and internal opposition shrank.

Missile and drone capabilities are still maintained at a significant level, and control of the Strait of Hormuz has become a strong bargaining chip for Iran.

According to officials briefed by U.S. intelligence, Iran believes that it is not easy for the U.S. military to launch additional large-scale attacks.

As the U.S. military's stockpile of missiles and ammunition has recently decreased, the possibility of a large-scale attack on Iran has also decreased.

There is also an analysis that Iran is trying to increase the political burden on US President Donald Trump by prolonging the war at least until the US midterm elections in November.

Representative Josh Gottheimer (Democrat, New Jersey) told the NYT, “Iran currently believes they have maximum negotiating power,” and added, “Is there any reason for them not to continue to pressure President (Trump)?”

In fact, there is a possibility that Iran's hard-line leadership is considering further escalation of tension.

Just as Iran attacked a U.S. military base in the Middle East last month, killing three Americans and striking a ship in the Strait of Hormuz, similar types of provocations may continue in the coming weeks.

The Trump administration's stance is that it will apply economic pressure to Iran to extract concessions, but officials who reviewed the intelligence report said that in the short term, U.S. economic sanctions are likely to incite tensions.