Against this backdrop, the US strategic establishment has become divided between two approaches. The first, championed by former diplomats such as James Jeffrey, holds that time is on Washington’s side and that continued pressure will wear down the adversary before the United States’ own capacity to endure is exhausted. The second argues that Iran has chosen a path of “endurance” and raising the costs, and that it will not submit but will instead respond by broadening the circle of tensions and increasing pressure on maritime traffic and US interests in the region, particularly in light of Financial Times leaks indicating that Tehran has received Russian military and technical support, including the dispatch of engineers to improve the accuracy and speed of its long-range missiles.
