When the world's at stake,
go beyond the headlines.

Welcome to The Adversarial. Every other week, we’ll provide you with expert analysis on America’s greatest challengers: China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, and jihadists. Read more below.***IranSince the United States and Israel launched joint military strikes against Iran on Feb. 28, their targeting has worked through a lengthy list of senior Iranian officials (including Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei), missile facilities, naval assets, and sites associated with regime security forces. Tehran’s defenses are porous — last June, Israeli aircraft were largely unchallenged over nearly two weeks of sorties, and the trio of U.S. warplanes hit by friendly fire thus far are three more than the Iranians have managed to strike. But its offensive barrages suggest that the regime is betting that, although it’s outgunned, it can outlast its foes. Iran’s response — initiated almost immediately — was to fire hundreds of drones and missiles not just against Israel, but also across the Gulf. The latter may seem incongruous, as Tehran has had cordial to functional relationships with its neighbors to the south, even restoring diplomatic ties with Saudi Arabia three years ago. Still, they are easier to target than Israel, and Iran seems to have concluded that the prospect of heightened hostilities involving major energy producers and strategic waterways could increase economic and diplomatic pressure on Washington to avoid a prolonged fight. The risks in that approach are already becoming apparent — putting countries that would have preferred to stay on the sidelines into the line of fire could turn them into adversaries.A U.S. Sailor serves as arresting gear officer as an F/A-18F Super Hornet aircraft, attached to Strike Fighter Squadron 213, lands on the flight deck of the world’s largest aircraft carrier, USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), while operating in support of Operation Epic Fury in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea,