When the Leash Comes Off: American Power in the Iran War

Betting on America’s restraint is becoming dangerous.

Concrete and rebar dangle from a damaged B1 bridge, a day after it was destroyed by an airstrike, west of Tehran in Karaj, Iran, on April 3, 2026. Majid Saeedi/Getty Images

Commentary

Imagine American power as a ferocious guard dog, held on a short, strong leash. Within the arc of that leash, no one with malintent survives. History has shown this ferocity time and again: rapid, decisive operations that leave adversaries reeling.