Iran's Unexpected War Response Stuns Washington, Spreads Across Gulf

• Iran's intense retaliation, including targeting US bases and disrupting shipping, caught Washington off guard despite prior warnings.
• The conflict has spread across the Gulf, impacting airports, oil facilities, and causing oil price hikes due to Strait of Hormuz disruptions.
• Iran deployed thousands of missiles and effective, cheap Shahed drones, leveraging years of intelligence and satellite imagery.
• Early strikes targeted radar systems in Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and a US Fifth Fleet facility in Bahrain to weaken defenses.
• The war is proving more complex than anticipated, demonstrating Iran's capacity to inflict widespread damage despite military disparities.