A possible first wave of an attack on Iran would focus on strategic missile sites and launchers, the most immediate threats to US forces and Israel, a former CENTCOM official told the Post.
The massive accumulation of US military assets in the Middle East is not merely a show of force but a signal that the United States has the capacity to dismantle the Iranian regime’s power structure in a matter of hours, according to Vice Admiral (Ret.) Bob Harward, former deputy commander of US Central Command (CENTCOM). “One thing he’s illustrated is that [President Donald] Trump does what he says,” Harward told The Jerusalem Post, citing the withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action and the US’s stance that it will not tolerate a nuclear-armed Iran. “Now he’s positioned the assets for a military action,” Harward said.
“If he cannot meet the objectives regarding the nuclear and ballistic missile program, he’s willing to go beyond mediation and act.” If the order to strike is given, Harward, who served as deputy commander of CENTCOM until 2013, detailed a hierarchy of targets designed to neuter Iran’s offensive capabilities while sparing the general population. The priority, according to the former commander, would be “bottom-up.” The first wave would target strategic missile locations and launchers – the direct threats to US forces and Israel. The second priority would be neutralizing the remnants of surrogates outside the country that pose a risk of retaliation against Israel. However, the most significant shift in strategy concerns the regime’s internal grip on power. Harward suggested that a campaign would target the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the instruments used to oppress the Iranian people, rather than the national infrastructure.
“You’re not going to look at infrastructure,” Harward explained. “This is to provide the Iranian people a change in government, so I think those types of targets will not be hit. It will be focused only on the things that enable the regime and the IRGC to suppress the people.” Perhaps the most chilling warning for Tehran was Harward’s description of modern American warfare capabilities, which he noted are vastly superior to what was seen in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. “Because of what we’ve learned and what we’ve been able to develop technology-wise – be it command, control, and targeting – it allows your mass of strikes to be more effective,” Harward said. (Read More)
