Mike Ritland on an AP Analysis of Iran's Strikes on U.S. Bases

In a video from Mike Ritland, the retired Navy SEAL breaks down a new AP investigation showing Iran's strikes on U.S. bases hit a recognizable pattern: radars first, then aircraft and hangars, then troop barracks. The analysis found more than 115 drone or missile strikes damaged structures at 26 sites, with Ali Al Salem airbase in Kuwait hit at least 30 times.

Key points

• Radar targeted first: Iran struck an Army TPY-2 radar in Jordan, one of only 13 in existence and worth roughly half a billion dollars each.
• Aircraft damaged too: An E-3 Sentry was hit at Prince Sultan airbase in Saudi Arabia, and a Congressional Research Service report says 15 U.S. aircraft were damaged region-wide.
• Personal stake: Ritland says he's launched operations from Ali Al Salem, calling the base's repeated hits a sign of a more capable, coordinated adversary than Iraq or Afghanistan.
• Possible round two: Trump says one or two Iranian sites, including a location called Pickaxe Mountain, remain unstruck and could be hit "in 10 minutes."
• Navy blockade strain: CENTCOM has redirected 144 ships near the Strait of Hormuz as Iran claims tankers are striking mines, a standoff Ritland warns could turn into a shooting fight.

Quick take

Ritland argues the U.S. is facing a far more sophisticated playbook than past conflicts, and that half-measures against Iran's nuclear sites risk inviting the broad retaliation Iran has already threatened. He raises an open question for viewers: whether the Pentagon should disclose full battle damage, and whether the Hormuz blockade is sustainable without a clearer endgame.

Watch the full video: Mike Ritland