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The Iran war reveals the limits of U.S. military power

Many weaknesses can be fixed by smarter acquisitions decisions. Not so for better leadership.

By MAX BOOT

Washington Post
March 16, 2026

The United States has leveraged its technological advantage to full effect against Iran, admittedly a second-rate adversary. But even in such a one-sided conflict, there are sharp limits to what airpower alone can accomplish.

Despite the U.S. airstrikes, the clerical regime has maintained its grip on power, with the hard-liner Mojtaba Khamenei succeeding his father as supreme leader. Nor has the U.S. secured Iran’s stockpile of nearly 1,000 pounds of highly enriched uranium. The most effective means of toppling the government, and seizing the nuclear material, would be to dispatch U.S. ground troops. The Pentagon has ordered more than 2,200 Marines to the Middle East, but, while they might be used to seize the Kharg Island oil transit hub, an invasion of Iran is unlikely because of America’s casualty aversion. Iran’s leaders are aware of U.S. sensitivities and doubtless suspect they can wait out the air attacks.