US Strikes Iranian Targets for Sixth Night to Degrade Military Capabilities

The U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM) recently launched a new wave of military operations, conducting airstrikes for six consecutive nights against military targets within Iran and those supported by the country. According to a U.S. statement, the operation aims to "degrade Iran's military capabilities" in response to escalating security threats in the region. This represents a rare instance of intensive military deployment by the U.S. in the Middle East. Vice Admiral Brad Cooper emphasized that the objective is to deter the expansion of Iran and its proxy organizations in the region, while safeguarding critical maritime routes and U.S. military assets.

Established in 1983, USCENTCOM oversees a region encompassing the Middle East, Central Asia, and parts of South Asia, serving as a core hub in the U.S. global strategic deployment. Historically, the command has played a pivotal role in projecting U.S. military power, from the 1991 Gulf War and the 2001 Afghanistan War to the 2003 Iraq War. In recent years, despite the U.S. gradually shifting its global strategic focus, its military deterrence in the Middle East has not slowed. By supporting allies and executing precision strikes, the U.S. has maintained pressure on Iran and its sphere of influence. This "sixth night" of sustained strikes is viewed as an attempt by the U.S. to recalibrate the Middle East power balance through "degradation" measures, without triggering an all-out war.

Facing these continuous U.S. strikes, Iran has maintained a hardline stance, accusing U.S. military intervention as the root cause of regional instability and threatening to take necessary retaliatory measures. In fact, Iran has long utilized the so-called "Axis of Resistance" to support proxy militias in Syria, Iraq, and Yemen, thereby expanding its political influence while avoiding direct warfare with the U.S. However, the recent flurry of U.S. airstrikes has broken the long-standing tacit understanding of low-intensity confrontation between the two, signaling that U.S. tolerance for proxy attacks has reached a freezing point, as Washington attempts to force Tehran to reassess its risk costs through military pressure.

Such military actions are not only a display of regional geopolitical maneuvering but also reflect the continuity of U.S. strategic decision-making. Given that former CENTCOM commanders, such as Lloyd Austin and James Mattis, later rose to become Secretaries of Defense, Middle Eastern affairs remain a top priority in U.S. defense strategy. The current series of airstrikes reflects a "persistent and precise" strike model adopted by the U.S. military to counter Iran's unconventional threats, aiming to deplete the adversary's military infrastructure while signaling to regional allies that the U.S. retains a robust capacity for military intervention.

For Taiwan, although the U.S. deployment in the Middle East is geographically distant from the Taiwan Strait, the event holds significant reference value. First, how the U.S. utilizes "sustained military operations" to deter regional powers without engaging in full-scale war serves as a key indicator for Taiwan in observing modern warfare patterns. Second, the tactics involved—how Iran uses proxy militias for "gray zone" harassment and how the U.S. counters such asymmetric threats—provide insights for Taiwan’s defense strategy and resource allocation as it faces increasingly complex regional security challenges. Furthermore, turmoil in the Middle East often impacts global energy supply chains; any escalation in regional conflict could lead to oil price volatility, thereby affecting Taiwan’s economy, which is highly dependent on energy imports and international trade. This remains a critical risk factor that Taiwan must closely monitor within the international landscape.