Alabama, Six weeks of US and Israeli bombardment have degraded Iran's nuclear facilities and crippled parts of its military. However, its offensive capabilities have been built up over nearly 50 years, with a mix of state-of-the-art drones and hackers, and out-of-date conventional weapons.
The Iranian military has a complex structure, with the regular military, or 'Artesh,' playing a domestic defence role, and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps serving as the more professional military force.
The Revolutionary Guard projects regional power, with the Quds Force providing arms and guidance to proxies throughout the Middle East. Iran has also engaged in substantial support of Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon.
The country has constantly sought means of exerting military influence beyond its borders, embracing the use of cyber warfare and launching attacks on Western military and government networks.
Iran's pursuit of atomic weaponry has been relentless since the 1980s, with the government maintaining that its nuclear program is for power generation, not weaponry.
The 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) halted Iran's uranium enrichment program in exchange for relief from economic sanctions. However, the agreement was withdrawn by the Trump administration in 2018, and Iran restarted its nuclear program in 2020.
The current conflict, Operation Epic Fury, has seen Iran expend at least 650 missiles in attacks on Israel and hundreds more against other targets in the region. The US has placed a heavy emphasis on attacking missile production and storage facilities, but it's difficult to ascertain how many missiles and drones the Iranian military might still possess.
