March 01, 2026
Iran vs U.S.: Iran Vows Ferocious Retaliation After Khamenei Killed
Daniel Silverberg, Center for a New American Security adjunct senior fellow and former foreign policy advisor to the House Democratic Leadership and foreign policy analyst, discussed the aftermath of the reported assassination of Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and the potential for prolonged US military involvement. He said, 'There has almost been no precedent of regime change being successful from the air,' expressing concern about the disconnect between President Trump's goals and the means to achieve them. Silverberg noted the lack of unity in Washington, with Democratic and some Republican members of Congress criticizing the action as 'a war of choice' that violated the War Powers Resolution. He suggested Trump is trying to 'set the table for the Iranians to find a new leader' and is unlikely to send ground troops unless conditions are safe. Silverberg indicated that Trump's response would be 'calibrated based on what the Iranians do,' particularly following recent missile strikes on Israel.
Watch the full interview on India Today.
More from CNAS
-
‘U.S. War on Iran Tactically Very Successful: Strategic Success Will Be ‘Elusive’, Warns Schneiderman
Genie Godula welcomes Daniel Schneiderman, CNAS adjunct senior fellow and Director of Global Policy Programs at Penn Washington. He argues that while the US has achieved signi...
By Daniel Schneiderman
-
The Curse of Middle-Sized Wars
This article was originally published in Foreign Affairs. In 1988, the military historian James Stokesbury observed that democracies are best at fighting either little wars, w...
By Robert D. Kaplan
-
Middle East Security / Energy, Economics & Security
Will Trump’s Shipping Insurance Plan Work?CNAS adjunct senior fellow Rachel Ziemba joined NPR's Planet Money to discuss the traffic jam of shipping vessels outside the Strait of Hormuz, political risk insurance, and m...
By Rachel Ziemba
-
Middle East Security / National Security Law
Is the U.S. Fighting a War Without Rules?Military rules of engagement exist to specify 'who' and 'what' can be attacked. But Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says the U.S. is fighting Iran without "stupid" rules of eng...
By Mark Nevitt