Iran’s military is not designed to win a conventional war against the United States or Israel. It is designed to survive one, absorb damage and continue fighting over time, experts say.

That strategy is reflected both in how the force is built and how it is performing now, after weeks of sustained U.S. and Israeli strikes.

The scale of the campaign has been significant. More than 9,000 targets have been struck since the launch of Operation Epic Fury, according to a March 23, 2026, fact sheet from U.S. Central Command, alongside more than 9,000 combat flights, hitting missile sites, air defenses, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps command centers and weapons production facilities.

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U.S. officials say the objective is clear. 

“We are targeting and eliminating Iran’s ballistic missile systems … destroying the Iranian Navy … and ensuring Iran cannot rapidly rebuild,” Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Dan Caine said during a March Pentagon briefing.

But analysts caution that the picture is more complex.

“It’s a mixed bag,” Nicholas Carl, a fellow at the conservative American Enterprise Institute think tank and assistant director of the Critical Threats Project, told Fox News Digital. “On one hand, (Iran’s military) is badly degraded across the board, but the regime still retains a significant amount of capability.” 

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At the heart of Iran’s military system is a deliberate dual structure: the conventional army, known as the Artesh, and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, a parallel force created after the 1979 revolution to safeguard the regime.

According to Carl, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has shaped the armed forces throughout decades around one central objective: preserving the Islamic Republic and exporting its revolutionary ideology.

“You need to separate between the IRGC and the regular army,” Middle East intelligence expert Danny Citrinowicz told Fox News Digital. “The IRGC gets all of the budgets — better salaries, better equipment, better everything.”

Carl describes the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a “deeply ideological praetorian guard,” while the Artesh remains a more conventional force tasked with defending Iran’s borders.

But the distinction is not absolute. 

“The IRGC is probably the more dangerous of the two, but we cannot discount the threat that the regular military poses as well,” Carl said.

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Iran’s missile program remains the backbone of its military power, even after extensive strikes.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Aerospace Force has spent years building what Carl describes as the largest missile inventory in the Middle East.

U.S. officials say those capabilities have been significantly reduced with recent strikes. 

“Iran’s ballistic missile shots fired are down 86% from the first day of fighting,” Caine said in a Pentagon briefing earlier in March, adding that drone launches have dropped by roughly 73%.

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said in the same briefing that the campaign has sharply limited Iran’s ability to sustain attacks. 

“The enemy can no longer shoot the volume of missiles they once did, not even close,” he said. 

But even U.S. officials acknowledge the threat persists. 

“Iran will still be able to shoot some missiles … and launch one-way attack drones,” Hegseth said.

Carl said the decline in fire has plateaued.

“Iranian missile and drone fire has dropped precipitously … about 90% since the war began… but that number has been consistent for weeks,” he said. “That means they still retain enough capability to sustain strikes across the region.”

Citrinowicz offered a similar assessment. 

“They suffered blows, but still hold the ability and still have the capacity to launch missiles for weeks to come,” he said.

U.S. estimates cited by Carl suggest roughly a third of Iran’s missile capabilities remain active.

“The regime still does have a significant capability to threaten targets across the region … especially as it demonstrates the ability to shoot beyond 2,000 kilometers,” Carl said.

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The Pentagon says it has made major gains against Iran’s naval forces.

More than 140 Iranian vessels have been damaged or destroyed, according to U.S. Central Command.

Caine said U.S. forces have “effectively neutralized” Iran’s major naval presence in the region.

But analysts warn that Iran’s naval threat was never dependent on large ships.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy is built around “area denial capabilities,” including fast attack craft, mines, missiles and drones designed to swarm adversaries and disrupt maritime movement.

“They still have the capacity — speedboats, drones, surface-to-sea missiles — allowing them to block the Strait of Hormuz,” Citrinowicz said.

Carl cautioned against a common misconception.

“It’s not technically accurate to say the Strait of Hormuz is closed … Iran is selectively denying access … firing at some ships while allowing others to pass,” he said.

“Iran has to do very, very little to achieve a meaningful effect.”

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U.S. officials say the campaign has achieved major progress in the air.

“We will have complete control of Iranian skies, uncontested airspace,” Hegseth said.

Caine added that U.S. forces have already established “localized air superiority” and are expanding operations deeper into Iranian territory.

But Iran’s air force was never the centerpiece of its strategy. Years of sanctions have left it reliant on aging aircraft and limited modernization, making it far less capable than its Western or regional adversaries.

“There is definitely a setback … but Iran was never built on an air force,” Citrinowicz said.

Instead, Iran relies on missiles, drones and layered defenses.

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On the ground, Iran retains a key advantage: its forces have largely not been directly engaged.

The Artesh ground forces, which include tens of brigades, are positioned primarily to defend Iran’s borders, according to Carl’s report.

“The ground troops are still intact, nobody has invaded Iran,” Citrinowicz said.

He noted that ground forces are increasingly launching drones, signaling a broader shift in how Iran fights.

Beyond its borders, Iran’s military power is extended through a network of proxy forces managed by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Quds Force.

Carl said the Quds Force provides “leadership, materiel, intelligence, training and funds” to allied militias across the Middle East, including Hezbollah, Hamas and the Houthis.

“The ‘Axis of Resistance’ is the central mechanism by which Iran can further regionalize the conflict … to endanger as many actors’ interests as possible,” Carl said.

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Iran’s military is also structured to confront internal threats, reinforcing its core purpose: regime survival.

The result is a force built on redundancy, asymmetry and endurance.

Even after weeks of sustained strikes, Iran retains enough capability to continue launching missiles, harassing global shipping and leveraging proxy forces across the region.

It may be weakened, but it remains strategically dangerous. 

“We cannot discount the threat that the Iranian military poses,” Carl said, “it remains a force capable of threatening regional and international security.”

Tiger Woods‘ mugshot was released Friday night, hours after he was arrested on a DUI charge following a car crash in Florida.

Woods’ eyes appeared bloodshot, as he donned a blue polo inside the Martin County Jail in Florida.

Martin County Sheriff John Budensiek confirmed in a press conference that Woods was traveling at “a high rate of speed” when his vehicle collided with another car, resulting in his vehicle rolling over onto the driver’s side. 

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Authorities said Woods “exemplified signs of impairment.” He blew “triple-zeroes” for alcohol but refused a urine test.

“DUI investigators came to the scene here, and Mr. Woods did exemplify signs of impairment. They did several tests on him. Of course, he did explain the injuries and the surgeries that he had. We did take that into account, but they did do some in-depth roadside tests,” Budensiek added. 

“We really weren’t suspicious of alcohol being involved in this case, and that proved to be true at the jail. … But when it came time for us to ask for a urinalysis test, he refused. And, so, he’s been charged with DUI, with property damage and refusal to submit to a lawful test.”

Woods was spotted on the phone after the crash, wearing navy blue shorts.

Woods was charged with DUI, property damage and refusal to submit to a test, all misdemeanor charges. No one was injured, authorities said. Woods was alone in the car and crawled out of the passenger door after the crash.

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“This could’ve been a lot worse,” Budensiek noted. 

President Donald Trump to the arrest of his “very close friend.”

“I feel so badly. He’s got some difficulty,” Trump said. “There was an accident, and that’s all I know. Very close friend of mine. He’s an amazing person, an amazing man, but some difficulty.”

Woods has not commented on the arrest.

Woods currently is dating Trump’s ex-daughter-in-law, Vanessa, whose daughter, Kai, is set to play college golf in Miami next week.

This is Woods’ second DUI arrest within the last decade. In 2017, he was taken into custody, also in Jupiter Island, after taking prescription drugs and being asleep behind the wheel of a running car at 3 a.m. 

In 2021, he got into a wreck that resulted in serious leg injuries that kept him off the golf course for the entire year.

Woods made his return to competitive golf earlier this week in the TGL championship after rupturing his Achilles just before last year’s Masters (this year’s tournament is in less than two weeks). Woods has not appeared on the links since the 2024 PGA Championship, in which he missed the cut.

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Controversial “looksmaxxing” online influencer “Clavicular” has been arrested on a warrant for alleged battery and one suspect remains at large, according to Florida officials.

Braden Peters, a popular influencer and streamer known for his “looksmaxxing” content, was arrested Thursday in Broward County by the Fort Lauderdale Police Department on a warrant from Osceola County.

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Osceola County deputies responded to an Airbnb near Kissimmee in reference to an alleged battery Feb. 2, according to a statement from the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office sent to Fox News Digital.

Upon arrival, an unnamed 19-year-old woman reported she was allegedly battered by 24-year-old Violet Marie Lentz, who is reportedly Peters’ girlfriend. 

Detectives determined that Peters allegedly instigated the fight and posted a video of the interaction on social media to “exploit the two women,” the statement said.

Officials say the Airbnb where the incident occurred was rented by Peters. Neither Peters nor Lentz came out of the home to speak with deputies during the February incident, the sheriff’s statement said. 

A warrant was then issued for Peters for misdemeanor battery and criminal conspiracy to commit battery, and a warrant was issued for Lentz for misdemeanor battery. Peters was held on a $1,000 bond.

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Officials are still searching for Lentz and the warrant for battery remains active, according to the sheriff’s statement.

Peters is also reportedly under investigation by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) after a video of him appearing to shoot a dead alligator in the Everglades surfaced online.

Clips of the video are widely circulating on social media platforms. One of the clips, analyzed by Fox News Digital, appears to show Peters and three other men on a small boat riding through the Everglades. 

The boat then stops in front of what appears to be a dead alligator.

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“Should we shoot it?” said one of the men on the boat in the clip.

“Is it dead?” Peters appears to ask in response.

“Let’s just test really how dead it is,” Peters appears to say in the clip.

The men then appear to shoot at the animal in the water.

The FWC said it was “aware of a video depicting individuals in the Everglades on an airboat who appear to be discharging firearms at an alligator,” in a statement Thursday.

The organization said officers are investigating the incident and will provide more information when available.

The FWC did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.