Expert assessment: Iran’s regime unlikely to collapse despite US attacks and economic pressure

Washington may be trying to squeeze Tehran from several directions, but analysts and many officials doubt that the strategy will break Iran’s resistance. A US operation to move millions of barrels of Iranian oil past a blockade is weakening Iran’s control over the Strait of Hormuz, yet the hoped-for collapse of the regime remains unlikely, they say.

The operation comes alongside new US military strikes and tighter sanctions on Iran’s economy. According to The Times, dozens of tankers travel at night near the coast of Oman with their transponders switched off, secretly carrying oil out through the strategically important waterway.

The tankers are not left entirely without protection. US aircraft reportedly shoot down Iranian missiles and drones that threaten them. Even so, the combination of military pressure, economic sanctions and the oil operation may not be enough to force Tehran’s regime to give up its resistance.