Can Iran Sustain a War With the United States? | Vantage with Palki Sharma | N18G

So, the United States is threatening

war. Iran says it is ready to fight. And

the most obvious question is this. Can

Iran sustain a war against the US? How

prepared is Thrhan if Trump indeed

orders his troops to attack?

Because a war with the United States may

not be brief. It would involve intense

fighting and it would span multiple

fronts.

A war with the US will test Iran's

military, its economy, and its

diplomatic ties. So, tonight we will

look at how Iran is placed on all these

fronts. And we'll start with military

preparedness. Iran has a strong army.

They're equipped with Cirrus firepower.

They have one of the biggest missile and

drone arsenals in West Asia. Some of

their missiles can travel up to 2,000

kilometers. They can target US bases

within the region, including in Israel.

Iran has the capability to conduct

targeted strikes well beyond its

immediate borders. In fact, they're

threatening to strike US bases in West

Asia if the Americans attack.

>> I also have an advice for the delusional

president of the United States. Be

careful that the advice you are

receiving about attacking Iran are the

same as the ones who told you that

Mashad has fallen. Therefore, so that

you are not miscalculating, know that in

case of an attack on Iran, the occupied

lands as well as US military bases in

the region will be our legitimate

targets. And with all these clear

confessions that you made about invading

Iran, we will not limit ourselves to a

reaction. We will act based on signs of

threats. It was necessary to say this to

you and all your allies in the region to

avoid miscalculation. Otherwise, it'll

be too late to regret.

Iran also has a big stockpile of drones

like the Shahed series. These are battle

tested drones. They've been used by

Russia in the Ukraine war. They were

also spotted in the Sudan conflict. And

what about actual troops? How big is

Iran's military?

There are around 580,000

active duty personnel, 5 lakh 80,000 and

some 200,000 in the reserves. This makes

Iran one of the biggest militaries in

the region. These troops are split into

wings. One is the regular military. The

second is the IRGC, the Islamic

Revolutionary Guard Corps. This is

Iran's elite military force. They have

only one job, to protect the regime. The

IRGC is responsible for operations both

within Iran and outside. They also

control Iran's proxies in the region.

Groups like Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in

Lebanon, and the Houthis in Yemen. the

IRGC controls them. So going just by the

numbers, Iran does look strong.

But these numbers alone do not guarantee

endurance or a favorable outcome because

in recent years, Iran has suffered a

string of military setbacks too. These

setbacks have weakened Iranian defenses.

Last year, the Iran had to appoint new

senior commanders after Israel wiped out

20 of them. Israel unleashed air strikes

and killed Iran's top military

leadership. Among the casualties was

Hussein Salami. He was the

commander-in-chief of the IRGC. He was

killed during the 12-day war in June

last year 2025.

The US too had joined Israel in this

war. They had bombed Iran's nuclear

facilities. Apart from this, Israel also

demolished most of Iran's proxy network

like the Hamas and the Hisbullah.

Israel fought a two-year long war in

Gaza and hit Hamas hard. During the same

war, Israel also struck Hezbollah in

Lebanon and took out its key leaders.

All of this has narrowed Iran's military

options.

So to sum it up, Iran does have a

military that can fight, but its

effectiveness is in doubt. And then we

have Iran's economy. It is far weaker,

barely capable of sustaining a war. In

fact, this is what triggered the current

crisis in the first place. Iran's

currency, the real collapsed. It fell to

1.47 million to the US dollar. It was

this collapse that sparked this wave of

protests. Shopkeepers took to the

streets after their margins vanished and

their businesses became unviable and

soon the public anger spread. The

economic crisis is hitting every

uranium. Inflation is well above 40%.

Prices of essential goods have risen

sharply. Take cooking oil for example.

Cooking oil prices in Iran have risen by

133%.

Eggs, their prices have shot up by 125%.

Chicken by 70%.

And rice has gone up by 25%.

These numbers are punishing. A war would

make them much worse.

In simple words, Iran's economy will

implode under the strain of a war.

But can it count on international

support? Will Iran's diplomatic partners

support it in the event of a war? And

support it to what extent?

>> Iran's allies like China and Russia have

slammed Trump for threatening war. Just

today, Moscow issued a statement of

support. This is what they said.

>> We simply need to work and to implement

the agreements achieved between Russia

and Iran as well as all other economical

partners. When such a powerful country

like US acts by these dirtier methods,

it means only one thing. The US

competitive position is steadily

worsening.

>> Regional powers like Turkey and Qatar

have also expressed concerns. So, no one

wants a war. But will they actively push

back or just issue statements. The case

of Venezuela does not inspire

confidence. When Trump attacked

Venezuela and had their president

abducted, global powers could do little.

All they offered were statements. And

Iran would have noted that with concern.

It would know that words of support may

not translate into meaningful action.

Which is why Thran has also been

dropping hints. It says it is ready to

talk. Earlier this week, Foreign

Minister Abbas Aragi addressed global

diplomats in Thran. He said, "Iran is

not seeking war, but it is prepared to

fight one." So, Thran is signaling that

there is room for dialogue, but it all

depends on whether the other side is

willing to listen.

The world doesn't fit in boxes. So why

should your news

from battlefields to negotiation tables,

from internet outrage to real world

injustice,

the conversations everyone is having and

the ones they're avoiding. It's the same

show, but this new year, First Post

America gets a new look. I'm Kerry

Johnston and this is First Post America.