• U.S. Navy destroyer fired a warning flare to flag off an Iranian Revolutionary Guard speedboat in the Strait of Hormuz, coming directly towards it
• This was reportedly the second “unsafe and unprofessional” incident the Navy had with Iran in recent months
• According to the U.S. Intelligence Community’s 2022 Annual Threat Assessment Report, Iran will continue to pose a threat to American interests
• UN nuclear watchdog reported that Iran now intends to enrich uranium at its underground Fordo plant using a second set of cutting-edge centrifuges

During a tense confrontation in the Strait of Hormuz on June 2o, a U.S. Navy destroyer fired a warning flare to flag off an Iranian Revolutionary Guard speedboat coming directly towards it. This was reportedly the second “unsafe and unprofessional” incident the Navy had with Iran in recent months, according to a separate statement by Navy to The Associated Press.

According to the U.S. Intelligence Community’s 2022 Annual Threat Assessment  Report, Iran will continue to pose a threat to American interests as it works to lessen American influence in the Middle East, consolidate its influence and project power in neighbouring countries, and reduce risks to regime stability. Tehran will attempt to further its objectives using its burgeoning nuclear programme, proxy and partner forces, diplomacy, and military sales and acquisitions. While pursuing its long-held aspirations for regional leadership, the Iranian government sees itself as involved in an existential conflict with the United States and its supporters in the region.

Iran is using both conventional and unconventional weapons in its hybrid warfare approach, endangering American interests in the region for the foreseeable future. Iran’s military power will continue to be centred on the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force (IRGC-QF) including its proxies.

Iran is working to upgrade and acquire new conventional weapons despite its economic difficulties. Tehran can advance its goals in the region and maintain strategic depth due to its unconventional warfare operations and network of militant allies and proxies.

Iran has advanced its ballistic missile programs and has successfully build the largest inventory of ballistic missiles in the region. This is posing a serious threat to neighbouring nations in the Middle East. Iran is also working on a space launch vehicle (SLV).

Iran poses a serious threat to the safety of the networks and data of the United States and its allies due to its increasing expertise and readiness to engage in aggressive cyber operations. Critical infrastructure owners in the United States are vulnerable to being targeted by Tehran because to its opportunistic approach to cyberattacks, especially when Tehran feels it must show it can strike back against the United States in other domains. Iran is more willing than before to target nations with more military might, as evidenced by recent attacks on Israeli and American targets.

Between April and July 2020, Iran was behind several cyberattacks against Israeli water facilities.

Iran is hesitant to directly negotiate the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action’s renewal through diplomatic channels with the United States (JCPOA). Iran keeps expanding the size and degree of uranium enrichment in its stockpile, Beyond the JCPOA’s restrictions.

The incident on June 20 occurs as tensions over the faltering nuclear agreement between Iran and Western powers remain high and as Tehran enriches uranium more closely than ever toward weapons-grade levels with reduced international control.

In the midst of the deadlock, the UN nuclear watchdog reported that Iran now intends to enrich uranium at its underground Fordo plant using a second set of cutting-edge centrifuges.

Staff Galactik Views