Week 2 of Iran analysis: Military momentum meets economic and political reality | CNN Politics

Brett McGurk is a CNN global affairs analyst who served in senior national security positions under Presidents George W. Bush, Barack Obama, Donald Trump and Joe Biden. Two days into the Iran crisis, I assessed 10 key indicators I’d be watching over the coming week. Now entering the second week of the crisis, it’s time to reassess and examine what’s risen or fallen in importance. Let’s review them in the same order with a refreshed assessment. The United States and Israel have increased air dominance across Iran. We should anticipate military operations to intensify over the coming week. This will mean a focus on not just the missiles and launchers, but the production facilities and infrastructure that produce Iran’s missiles and drones, as well as its nuclear facilities. The Trump administration has not ruled out a ground operation, perhaps focused on enriched uranium buried in Esfahan, more than 250 miles south of Tehran. That would be highly risky, and may not be possible without further degradation of Iran’s military power. In sum, the military campaign is settling in for a period of weeks — not days. This will not be a short war. After losing dozens of its top le