Retired colonel and military analyst Mikhail Khodarenok notes that already at the very start of the US operation «Epicheskaya Yarost» strategic B-2 Spirit bombers were spotted in the skies over Iran. He points out that the presence of such aircraft, each worth around 2 billion dollars, in his view signals serious disorganization within Iran’s air defense system.

Khodarenok argues that the military and economic capabilities of the United States and Iran are simply not comparable, describing them as opponents in completely different weight classes. With this balance of forces, he believes the course and outcome of the fighting are effectively predetermined in favor of Washington and its key regional ally, Tel-Aviv, even before the conflict fully unfolds.

He stresses that the US and Israel enjoy a massive edge over Iran in modern intelligence capabilities — from electro-optical space-based surveillance and radio and electronic intelligence to human sources on the ground. Khodarenok says this advantage allows Washington and Tel-Aviv to stay several moves ahead of Tehran.

As for US-Israeli strikes, he notes that they are launched mainly from areas that Iranian countermeasures are simply unable to reach. At the same time, Khodarenok describes how the US and Israel are now effectively hunting down every single launcher of Iran’s tactical missile systems.

In his assessment, the American operation «Epicheskaya Yarost» is increasingly turning into a one-sided beating of Iran, which, he believes, is not able to wage an effective war against the United States. For now, he sees no sign that the situation on the battlefield might start to shift in Tehran’s favor.