Geostrategic Media Political Commentary, Analysis, Security, Defense
The ongoing confrontation between the US and Iran is also setting a stage for some novel norms of warfare – those that are less visible and transformative in nature. The emergence of the nuclear age is its best manifestation. The United States for the first time in history, demonstrated one of the world’s most destructive weapons – the one that has unprecedented destructive power. The atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki set a new normal in the history of warfare and the concepts of nuclear deterrence, or mutually assured destruction (MAD), were later evolved out from it.
A Testing Battle Ground
Since the inception of the US strikes against Iran in late February 2026, the United States has unveiled its novel offensive weapons, which are being tested on the battlefield against Iranian targets. A growing perception suggests that the US is fighting a war that is too costly to win, whereby Iran, under its Mosaic doctrine, is inflicting heavy blows to the American assets in the Middle East using cheap drone swarms and ballistic missiles.
The Pentagon has unveiled its modern ‘Low-Cost Unmanned Combat Attack System’ (LUCAS) aerial drones under the command of the US Scorpion Strike Task Force. Unlike the Iranian Shahed drone, which is a blind flying bomb designed to be launched in massive swarms along a rigid path just to overwhelm air defenses, the LUCAS is equipped with the Pentagon’s heavily encrypted military-grade M-CODE GPS.
It is comprised of a ‘Digital Scene Matching Area Correlation’ technology, which gets activated when the drone’s GPS system is either hacked or blocked, allowing it to navigate in accordance with its internal data stored. A single LUCAS drone costs $35000 with the same precision and accuracy.
Likewise, the US has also deployed its Precision Strike Missiles (PrSM) in combat for the first time. It is a next-generation long-range precision strike missile designed to extend the range of the US army’s Premier Deep Strike missile known as ‘ATACAMS.’ PrSM increases the range beyond 400 Km and doubles the load of its predecessor with missiles per pod. It can be fired from HIMARS and M270, members of the precision-fire family of launchers.
A Pyrrhic Victory?
The US under the Trump 2.0 administration from the very first day has held the view that the US will no longer indulge in foreign wars. If it goes for a war, then it will be a short episode with a quick victory. However, the Iran war has entered a phase of prolonged warfare, with thousands of US troops and special Marines heading towards the Middle East from other regions.
It is pretty clear that the US does not want prolonged warfare against Iran, as it would only result in a pyrrhic victory. But the ever-increasing military deployments around the Iranian mainland, most probably for a ground invasion, seem to contradict the current ‘conservative internationalist’ foreign policy posture of the United States.
The ground invasion and avoiding prolonged warfare are complementary to each other. From historical experiences to the statements of President Trump and his officials, one thing is crystal clear: something big, quieter, and transformative is in the pipeline.
Iran a New Hiroshima?
One of the major reasons behind the use of atomic weapons in Japan by the US was the entry of the USSR in the war. According to scholars, if the USSR had intervened, they would have confronted the Japanese conventionally, emboldening their great power status in the post-war period.
But the US played the first move and demonstrated to the world for the first time a weapon whose destructive power is unmatched and unparalleled. At that time, it was only the US that possessed nukes. Thus, the US emerged as a superpower in the newly emerging world order.
And, this time, the war against Iran is no exception. The geopolitical scenario is somewhat similar, with a changing world order and Iran’s assertive retaliations. But nukes can’t be used, as this would result in serious repercussions, in particular, World War III. Thus, the US could exploit this war to secure its eminent position in the upcoming world order.
The case of Venezuela is the best manifestation of a conventional military operation where the US military captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife without any single casualty. President Trump later disclosed that the US special forces utilized a unique offensive weapon system known as the ‘Discombobulator,’ which not only failed the defense systems but also resulted in blackout and fainting of Venezuelan soldiers due to the high electromagnetic waves. This technology, which is taken for granted by the international community, was actually a signal from the US that it has both intent and capability to ward off its enemy without entering into a bloody war.
Right after Venezuela, the US shifted its focus towards Iran. The US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, has explicitly stated that Iranian case is not like Venezuela. Still, it’s brewing in the international debate circles that the US is applying the Venezuelan model in Iran, which is impossible.
Likewise, President Trump has stated several times since the war has begun on various occasions that the US will wipe out Iran. In a recent statement, he noted, “I have very firm instructions—anything happens, Iran will be wiped out of this earth.”
Strategic Signaling
In addition, recently the White House released two short clips on its X and Instagram accounts. The second clip was promptly removed. It seemed that the removed one was shot using a smartphone, and the words ‘sound on’ were seen in captions. The video features an unidentified woman asking, “It’s launching soon, right?”
Likewise, a blackout and phone alert with an American flag is seen in a second video that was still posted to the official Instagram account. These official statements and current trends suggest the possible emergence of a novel non-nuclear high-impact weapon by the US.
A recent event further supported the aforementioned claim. Muhammad Safa, a representative at the United Nations, recently resigned from his position on Friday and charged the international organization with planning for a scenario in which nuclear weapons could be used against Iran. Although, the possibility of using nukes in Iran is very low, but testing of some novel and modern weapons might be possible, raising the conventional threshold.
A Dangerous Precedent
Both China and Russia have long been demonstrating their new weapon equipment. The Chinese military parade last year revealed various conventional as well as dual-use platforms. Likewise, Russia has recently tested its Burevestnik nuclear-armed cruise missile and an unmanned underwater nuclear-armed torpedo known as ‘Poseidon.’ However, the Pentagon has been cautious to unleash its emerging capabilities publicly.
Thus, the Iran war could provide a ground for the US to test its conventional weapons discussed earlier and also to deploy for the first time a new offensive system under the nuclear overhang, which would establish a new normal. This weapon would be embedded with modern and advanced technology including the Artificial Intelligence.
Thus, the war in the Middle East is beyond regional confrontation; rather, it has become a testing ground for future warfare dynamics. The actual query here is not whether this transformative innovation is a reality but rather how the international community would react after its deployment.
