War Has Made Tehran More Confident, US Intelligence Agencies Say

Six months of war may have made Iran more confident, not less, in its ability to withstand US pressure and keep fighting, according to intelligence assessments cited by The New York Times.

The newspaper reported that Iran had grown more confident in its ability to attack targets in the Middle East and appeared determined to continue the conflict for months in an effort to frustrate the United States. Clashes resumed this week, although the latest exchanges had remained limited at the time of the report.

The assessments, based on intelligence reports reviewed by people familiar with them, suggested that Iran’s hardline government might be considering a significant escalation. They also indicated that reaching an agreement to end the war could prove difficult.

Current and former US officials told the newspaper that they had seen few indications Tehran was ready to make a deal with Washington. The source text ends while discussing the possibility that Tehran could seek to influence the US midterm elections.

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Iran has grown more confident in its ability to attack targets in the Middle East and appears determined to continue the conflict for months to frustrate the United States.