Mike Ritland Reviews AP Analysis of Iran's Strikes on 26 Bases

In a video from Mike Ritland, the retired Navy SEAL breaks down an Associated Press investigation finding that Iran's strikes on U.S. forces were more coordinated than first understood: radars first, then hangars and warehouses, then troop barracks, across 26 Middle East sites through August.

Key points

• The scale: AP satellite analysis counted upward of 115 missile or drone hits that damaged or destroyed buildings at 26 bases, with Ali Al Salem airbase in Kuwait struck at least 30 times.
• High-value targets: Iran went after an Army TPY-2 radar in Jordan, one of only 13 in existence, and damaged an E-3 Sentry surveillance plane at Prince Sultan airbase, one of 15 U.S. aircraft damaged in the region.
• The playbook: Ritland says the sequence of air defense, then air assets, then barracks mirrors U.S. tactics and shows a level of coordination he has not seen from Iran before.
• What's next: President Trump says one or two Iranian sites remain, naming Pickaxe Mountain, while CENTCOM's naval blockade has redirected 144 commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz.
• Wider picture: Ritland also notes a separate report suggesting Russia may be aiding Houthi targeting in Yemen.

Quick take

Ritland's main concern is that Iran has already shown it can reach deep into regional bases with precision. He argues any future response should be all-in rather than partial, since half-measures would leave U.S. troops and ships exposed to the same playbook twice.

Watch the full video: Mike Ritland