by Mahmoud Fouly
CAIRO, March 27 (Xinhua) -- Despite its verbal boasts of victory and so-called weapons superiority, the United States has struggled to achieve decisive results in its ongoing conflict with Iran as the regional war approaches the one-month mark.
Analysts say that while Washington retains a clear edge in firepower, a lack of coherent strategy, mounting divisions with its allies, and an underestimation of Iran's institutional resilience have prevented the world's only superpower from achieving the outcomes it anticipated at the outset.
Mohamed Mohsen Abo El-Nour, head of the Cairo-based Arab Forum for Analyzing Iranian Policies, said the war has demonstrated "a U.S. military superiority, yet an inability to transform this advantage into a decisive political or strategic resolution."
A recent editorial by The New York Times, titled Trump Can't Spin His Way Out of This War, said President Donald Trump "went to war against Iran without explaining his strategy to the American people or the world," adding that "it now appears that he might not have had much of a strategy at all."
Echoing this view, Egyptian expert on Gulf affairs and Iranian politics Abu-Bakr Al-Desouky said that "all indicators point to the absence of a clear strategy," highlighting a stark contrast between reality and the statements of Trump, who has repeatedly claimed success and major achievements on the battlefield.
Since last month's U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran, the country has endured losses but avoided the catastrophic damage initially claimed by Washington and Israel. Continuing to strike back, Iran's retaliatory attacks have caused damage to both Israeli and U.S. assets, prompting the United States to deploy additional forces to sustain its confrontation with Tehran.
Al-Desouky also questioned the underlying rationale of the war, describing it as lacking a clear political or moral foundation, and argued that Washington's objectives remain vague and inconsistent.
"Iran did not pose a direct threat to the United States, and it even offered unprecedented concessions during the latest Oman-sponsored negotiations, yet Washington did not negotiate with flexibility or in good faith," he said.
Divisions between the United States and its allies have further complicated the situation. Since the United States and Israel launched attacks, many of U.S. allies, including Spain and France, have expressed opposition to the military actions.
In addition, the United States and Israel have also clashed over how the war is being conducted and its goals, including whether to strike Iran's energy facilities.
The recent resignation of Joe Kent, director of the National Counterterrorism Center, in protest against the war, has underscored growing dissatisfaction within parts of the U.S. administration.
"It is clear that we started this war due to pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby," Kent wrote in his resignation letter.
Al-Desouky described the resignation and opposition from the U.S. allies as "a strong indication of internal discontent within the administration itself, as well as dissent among the broader public."
Meanwhile, analysts argue that U.S. policymakers have misjudged Iran's internal dynamics. Rather than sparking widespread unrest, external military pressure seems to have reinforced domestic cohesion.
El-Nour noted that foreign strikes have fueled what he described as "defensive nationalism," with various segments of Iranian society rallying behind the state in the face of external threats.
"All segments of Iranian society unite in times of external danger," Al-Desouky said, adding that even opposition groups tend to support the government when national sovereignty is perceived to be under attack.
This internal cohesion, combined with Iran's institutional resilience, has made the prospect of "regime collapse" increasingly unlikely.
As the war drags on, it is sending shockwaves across the geopolitical and economic landscape, driving up oil prices, rattling international markets, and even boomeranging back on the United States itself.
Observers warn that if Washington keeps pressing ahead blindly, ignoring the realities on the ground, the conflict could spiral into a protracted war of attrition, exacting a heavy toll on all sides involved.
It is time for the United States to face the reality that the war is unlikely to achieve its objectives, El-Nour said, warning that without a comprehensive political solution, the military operations in Iran could entangle Washington in "a costly, open-ended conflict." ■
