According to the Anadolu agency, when U.S. and Israeli forces failed, after weeks of sustained air operations, to achieve decisive results against Iran, political scientist John Mearsheimer argues it exposed a broader limit on military power in the region, one he believes others are unlikely to overcome.
Speaking in remarks reported by Pars Today and attributed to IRIB News Agency, Mearsheimer said the recent confrontation, which he described as involving “full-scale airstrikes over 40 days,” ended without altering Iran’s position on the ground. “When the United States and Israel, despite launching full-scale airstrikes over 40 days, were unable to defeat Iran, no other power in the world would be able to do so either, making such an outcome effectively impossible.”
His comments push back against long-standing expectations in some Western and Israeli policy circles that sustained pressure could eventually force major political change in Tehran. Instead, he suggested the opposite had become clearer: Iran’s state structures, despite external pressure, have remained intact and operational.
Mearsheimer also pointed to the evolving role of regional actors, singling out the United Arab Emirates. He said the UAE has cooperated with the United States and Israel in actions directed against Iran and warned that any deeper involvement in a wider conflict would carry serious risks.
In his assessment, Iran and its adversaries operate at fundamentally different levels of strategic depth. As he put it, they are “not in the same league,” suggesting that smaller regional states would struggle to withstand direct escalation.
He further argued that if the UAE were drawn into a war, critical infrastructure such as desalination systems and energy facilities could be exposed to retaliation—assets he described as highly vulnerable in any sustained exchange.
Against that backdrop, Mearsheimer urged Abu Dhabi to seek an immediate diplomatic understanding with Iran, framing de-escalation not as optional, but as a practical necessity given the stakes he outlined.
The remarks arrive amid heightened regional tension and renewed debate over whether external pressure can still reshape Iran’s strategic trajectory or whether the balance of power has already settled in a more fixed direction.
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