The United States has resumed attacks on Iran after a one-month pause, prompting deep concern from security analyst Samir Puri, a lecturer in the Department of War Studies at King’s College London. Puri said Iran’s retaliatory strikes have demonstrated clear accuracy and effectiveness, while Tehran has retained the capacity to continue responding more than six months after US and Israeli attacks began.

Speaking to Al Jazeera, Puri said there were no signs that Iran’s weapons and ammunition were running out. Instead, he said indications suggest that Washington wants to compel Iran to make several visible concessions, creating a substantial risk that the conflict could intensify further.

Puri described US President Donald Trump’s messages about the eventual outcome of the six-month war as highly confusing. He also said support for Iran from China, Russia, India and other countries at this week’s Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit showed that Tehran was clearly not as isolated internationally. In his assessment, the United States is highly confused about its strategic objectives in the situation.