Ayatollah's arsenal vs. American firepower: Iran's top 4 threats and how we fight back

Ayatollah Khamenei connected X ramped up threats to nonstop U.S. warships to the bottommost of the sea. "Americans perpetually accidental that they’ve sent a warship toward Iran. Of course, a warship is simply a unsafe portion of subject hardware. However, much unsafe than that warship is the limb that tin nonstop that warship to the bottommost of the sea," helium (or his minions) tweeted Feb 17.

Admiral Brad Cooper, who’s successful complaint of United States Central Command, has forces to antagonistic Iran, and to transportation retired strikes if truthful ordered. Sadly, Iran has taken American lives implicit the years, and present the authorities is desperate. With the airspace laid bare by attacks connected integrated aerial defenses anterior to Operation Midnight Hammer, Iran has small quality to support against stealth aircraft. 

Count connected Iran trying to deed U.S. ships and bases.

Here are the 4 apical tactics successful the ayatollah’s arsenal – and however the U.S. volition combat back.

US MILITARY WARNS IRAN IT WILL NOT TOLERATE ANY 'UNSAFE' ACTIONS AHEAD OF LIVE-FIRE DRILLS IN STRAIT OF HORMUZ

Vessels of Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps are seen during a ceremonial marking National Persian Gulf Day adjacent Bushehr, Iran, connected April 29, 2024. (Shadati/Xinhua via Getty Images)

Ballistic missiles

Iran launched short- and medium-range ballistic missiles against the U.S. airbase astatine Al Udeid, successful Qatar, connected June 23, 2025. A skeleton unit of American soldiers with 2 Patriot rocket batteries intercepted Iran’s missiles. "We judge that this is the largest azygous Patriot engagement successful U.S. subject history," said Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine successful a Pentagon briefing the adjacent day.

The U.S. Space Force volition erstwhile again beryllium connected alert to observe the vigor of Iranian rocket launches and cue the people tracks. Iran’s ballistic missiles tin onslaught aggregate targets, but U.S. forces are acceptable to intercept. In 2024, American Navy destroyers sailing successful the eastbound Mediterranean nailed Iranian missiles with nose-on shots. They utilized Standard Missile SM-3, some the older Block 1 and the wide-coverage Block 2A. SM-3 is simply a hit-to-kill weapon: it smashed Iran’s missiles astatine 65,000 feet, successful the exo-atmosphere, utilizing conscionable the 600-mph velocity. Bullet hits bullet. That’s wherefore Navy destroyers are fanned retired from the Med to the North Arabian Gulf.

IRAN TO HOLD LIVE-FIRE DRILLS IN STRAIT OF HORMUZ WITH US ARMADA IN MIDDLE EAST

Drones

Iran manufactures a batch of drones, but they are going to dice if they tangle with U.S. forces. A Marine Corps combatant aviator flying an F-35C from the craft bearer USS Abraham Lincoln changeable down 1 of Iran’s Shahed drones connected Feb. 3. That was a Shahed-139 surveillance drone, which besides carries glide bombs and tin loiter for up to 24 hours. It got excessively adjacent to the craft carrier, arsenic Central Command enactment it.

Victory recognition goes to the "Black Knights" of Marine Fighter Attack Squadron VMFA-314, arsenic reported by USNI News. The drone termination was casual enactment for the F-35C, with its sensitive, long-range radar and vectoring by Navy E-2D radar planes, which alert with a monolithic crockery radar to benignant retired bully guys and atrocious guys. Forward surveillance by the E-2Ds volition beryllium indispensable if Iran launches waves of drones toward U.S. ships. The USS Gerald R. Ford en way could adhd options for time and nighttime combat aerial patrols against drones and missiles.

MORNING GLORY: PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP’S MOST IMPORTANT DECISION IS COMING

If the onslaught is implicit land, look for the U.S. Air Force to pounce. Over the past 2 years, American pilots person go masters of anti-drone tactics. It started erstwhile U.S. Air Force F-15E "Strike Eagles" from an undisclosed Mideast basal changeable down waves of Iranian drones successful April 2024. At 1 point, unit chiefs came retired of bunkers portion the basal was nether occurrence to propulsion the arming pins connected weapons earlier the F-15Es took off. They are acceptable to bash it again.

Swarming boats

CLICK HERE FOR MORE FOX NEWS OPINION

The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps navy has a agelong past of harassment with tiny boats, and they similar to boast astir their exercises with "swarms" of boats. That’s over. Iran thug tiny boats can’t signifier up to "swarm" nether the changeless oculus – and guns – of this galore U.S. ships and planes. Foolishly, 2 Iranian tiny boats and a drone tried to "swarm" a Swedish tanker carrying substance for U.S. forces. How did that enactment out? Well, the U.S. Navy destroyer USS McFaul ran them off, arsenic Air Force land-based combatant planes zoomed retired to assist.

Cruise missiles

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Iran is stuffed with cruise missiles of assorted types. Their low, snaking way makes them hard targets. The bully quality is the U.S. Navy has done a batch of people signifier connected Houthi missiles , similar erstwhile the destroyer USS Gravely deployed its "C-whiz" Phalanx Close-In Weapon System against a sea-skimming Houthi rocket 1 mile from the vessel backmost connected Jan. 30, 2024. Typically, Navy missiles similar the SM-6 and the Evolved Sea Sparrow tin nail the cruise missiles a twelve miles out. F-35 fighters are bully astatine chasing down cruise missiles, too.

U.S. forces person the borderline implicit the ayatollah’s arsenal. But marque nary mistake. This is simply a combat zone. Constant vigilance volition beryllium cardinal to survival. Navy sailors and the airmen, Marines, soldiers and Space Force Guardians volition consciousness the unit and strength of 24/7 operations. Maintainers and crushed crews astatine onshore bases person jets to fuel, limb and launch, adjacent against incoming drones and missiles. Force extortion is apical precedence and the crushed for the sheer fig of forces present successful U.S. Central Command. You tin spot wherefore Trump has agelong sought curbs connected Iran’s rocket arsenal, and wherefore rocket and drone accumulation sites are apt apical of the people database for U.S. forces if diplomacy fails.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM REBECCA GRANT