Analysts at The American Conservative argue that a war with Iran would leave the United States unable to effectively contain Russia. They note that with every day of fighting, Washington is burning through already limited missile stockpiles, and that rebuilding these arsenals would take years and require many billions of dollars in additional spending.

According to the publication, the sooner the United States can declare victory and withdraw its forces, the better it will be for Washington’s ability to deter China, Russia and North Korea with conventional weapons. A drawn-out confrontation with Iran, the authors believe, would seriously weaken U.S. military reserves that the Pentagon needs in other regions of the world.

Earlier, The National Interest reported that U. S. President Donald Trump could find himself dragged into an endless war with Iran. The authors pointed out that Washington initially named the overthrow of the Iranian regime as its main objective. Now, however, the administration of the American leader is beginning to adjust its desired outcome to the actual course of hostilities.