US lost the Iran war, says retired Lt. Col. Daniel Davis

Retired U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel and military analyst Daniel Davis asserts that the United States lacks a coherent military strategy to counter Iran, despite stated desires to curb its influence. Davis believes the U.S. has an "appetite" but no strategy to force Iran's submission, control the Strait of Hormuz, or prevent it from acquiring nuclear weapons.

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The U.S. has a desire, I would say it doesn't have a strategy. We want to bring Iran to its knees, corner them, take control of the Strait of Hormuz, prove that they don't pose a threat to anyone in the region, and ensure they never possess nuclear weapons. That is our desire. But there is no strategy to achieve any of these goals.

Drawing on his combat experience, Davis highlights the formidable geographical and defensive challenges Iran presents. He compares Iran's mountainous terrain to that of Afghanistan and Pakistan, describing it as vast and difficult to conquer by land. Furthermore, he contends that air power alone would be insufficient to subdue a nation with Iran's defensive capabilities.

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As a soldier with direct combat experience, for example, having gained combat experience in some of these mountains between Afghanistan and Pakistan, I know that many of the mountains inside Iran are of the same category. I knew how difficult a military task it would be to conquer a country as large as much of Western Europe, with the entire western front covered by such mountain ranges.

Davis points to Iran's extensive, decades-long preparation of its defense infrastructure, including underground caves, production facilities, and storage sites. He states these facilities are designed to withstand not only conventional missiles but potentially even nuclear blasts, making them nearly impossible to defeat. He questions the rationale behind initiating a conflict against such a well-prepared adversary.

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You cannot do this, especially when you have foreseen this for twenty years and have made all preparations by building underground caves, production facilities, storage facilities, and developing production capabilities in their drones and missiles. There is no way to defeat them.

The analyst suggests that the U.S. administration's objectives might be influenced by external factors, specifically mentioning Benjamin Netanyahu as potentially fueling a "fantasy" regarding military action. Davis implies that the decision-making process may be detached from the realities of military feasibility and strategic planning.

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Why would you start a war to force them into something you clearly cannot achieve, when before entering into an act of starting a war, you know the enemy is this large, has these kinds of defenses, and everyone knows these are resistant to our conventional munitions, not nuclear ones?