Today, Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn) shared his reaction with reporters following the briefing: “I’m more convinced now that this is going to be open-ended and forever.”
He added, “This feels like a multitrillion-dollar open-ended conflict with a very confusing and constantly shifting set of goals. They clearly seem fine with hard-line elements being in control of the country, because they plan to permanently run air operations in order to chase [Iran’s] missile-making capability, drone-making capability, and nuclear capabilities.”
Hasn’t Iran been under embargo for decades now? They must produce most of their stuff locally since it would be hard for them to import it.
China and Russia both trade heavily with Iran and don’t care about embargoes.
Also even if they could produce everything they need within the country, that doesn’t mean it’s practical to produce it all in one location. At some point you have to pull raw material out of the ground and refine it, and you probably can’t get everything you need all from the same hole in the ground. You probably can’t manufacture electronics very well next door to a mining and refining operation. There’s going to be truck routes or train lines and logistics facilities somewhere.